HDI Global Names Delphine Leroy as Managing Director for France Following Haquette’s Retirement

HDI Global has appointed Delphine Leroy as Managing Director for France, effective 1 January 2027. This leadership transition at one of Europe’s major industrial insurers signals a strategic focus on continuity and transformation in a key European market, impacting how brokers and multinational clients navigate risk management and underwriting across the region.

What was announced

Delphine Leroy will succeed Jean-Marie Haquette, who is retiring after a successful career spanning nearly four decades in the insurance and reinsurance industry. Haquette has served as Managing Director of HDI Global France since September 2022. Leroy joins the firm with nearly 30 years of experience in the insurance sector, having held senior leadership positions with several international insurers. Most recently, she served as General Manager France at QBE, and previously held the role of Managing Director France and Head of South Europe at CNA Hardy. Her career has encompassed leadership roles across underwriting, distribution, risk management, and executive management.

France represents a critical hub within HDI Global's multinational network, supporting clients and broker partners through local expertise combined with global capabilities across more than 200 countries and territories. The leadership transition is designed to ensure continuity for clients and brokers while supporting the company's continued growth in the market. Under Haquette’s tenure, the French operations expanded capabilities across several business areas and strengthened its position as a one-stop-shop partner, specifically enhancing its operational excellence and claims capabilities. Leroy is expected to build on this foundation, focusing on the company’s role as a partner in transformation for its clients and brokers.

"I would like to thank Jean-Marie for his outstanding contribution to HDI Global France and for the strong foundation he has built. Under his leadership, our French operations have further strengthened their position in a strategically important market. I am delighted to welcome Delphine to HDI Global. Her deep market expertise, leadership experience and strong client and broker focus make her ideally positioned to shape our business in France. Together with our experienced team, she will further strengthen our role as a trusted Partner in Transformation for clients and brokers.”

David Hullin, Member of the HDI Global SE Executive Board, responsible for international regions (without DACH and USA) and Multinational Programmes.

The companies involved

HDI Global SE is a leading industrial insurer and a member of the Talanx Group. The company provides a broad range of insurance solutions to industrial and corporate customers, ranging from mid-sized companies to large multinational corporations. Its reach is extensive, offering coverage and services in more than 200 countries through its own foreign branches, subsidiaries, and network partners. As a major player in the global commercial lines market, HDI Global focuses on complex risks and multinational programmes, positioning itself as a specialist in industrial property, casualty, and specialty lines.

The French market is a cornerstone of its European strategy, serving as a vital link in its international network. The parent company, Talanx, is one of the largest insurance groups in Germany and Europe, providing HDI Global with significant capital backing and a stable corporate structure. This stability is central to the firm’s value proposition to brokers and large-scale industrial clients who require long-term risk transfer partners. The company has consistently focused on strengthening its operational excellence and claims capabilities to maintain its competitive edge in the industrial sector.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely tracked HDI Global’s strategic moves and leadership changes within the specialty and industrial sectors. In September 2026, the publication reported that HDI Global Appoints Tobias Sigurdsson as Global Head of Fine Art & Specie, a move that highlighted the carrier's expansion into niche specialty markets. Additionally, the broader technological landscape impacting carriers like HDI was covered in July 2026, when the mea Platform Dominates 2026 Insurance AI Rankings with Agentic AI Breakthroughs, reflecting the industry-wide shift toward agentic AI. FF News also noted regional market developments in the Willis Expands CyMax Cyber Facility for SMEs and Middle Market Firms Across EMEA report, which detailed the evolving cyber risk environment for middle-market firms in Europe.

What this means from an insurtech perspective

This leadership change underscores the increasing pressure on traditional industrial carriers to balance legacy stability with the rapid transformation demanded by modern risk landscapes. For brokers and MGAs, Leroy’s extensive background in distribution and underwriting suggests a continued push toward more integrated, digitally-enabled multinational programmes. The challenge for HDI Global in the French market will be maintaining its "one-stop-shop" status while competing with agile, data-driven entrants and incumbent vendors who are modernising core systems. As the industry moves toward more sophisticated claims capabilities and automated risk assessment, the ability of new leadership to execute on these technological fronts will be critical for maintaining loss ratios and customer trust across the insurance value chain.