The opportunities to invest in the property catastrophe space are “immense”, says Katie Partington Howarth, chief capital officer of Ariel Re.

That might seem a predictable statement to come from someone whose job it is to raise capital for the re/insurer, but Ariel Re has bucked the trend in raising money in an industry sector which has struggled to provide a return on investment in recent years.

Few companies have a specific chief capital officer role, which demonstrates the importance Ariel Re places on the function and its recent success in raising money, something which Partington Howarth credits to chief financial officer Mike Pedraja and the company’s recognition that rates were hardening and could be sustained.

In a video interview with Bermuda:Re+ILS, she says: “Before I joined, I was very impressed by the work Mike and his team had done.

“Ariel Re has a fantastic track record, with an amazing amount of systems and analytics.”

“Even in the span of late 2022 and early 2023 when a lot of people were struggling to raise money, especially with in the property-catastrophe space, their team was able to raise capital.”

Asked how, she says: “Ariel Re has a fantastic track record, with an amazing amount of systems and analytics, and it’s known as a leader within the property-cat space. There is a very attractive proposition and a very good capital management strategy, which enhances the potential returns for investors.

“Those things have been very helpful and we will be building on those as we look forward into 2024 and continue to try to raise funds in that space.

“The information and the rates we are seeing mean the opportunity within the space is immense, and we think that’s of interest to a lot of people.”