The Credit Hire Organisation (CHO), the trade body for the UK credit hire sector which represents member credit hire companies (CHCs) and the sector more generally with motor insurers, has appointed insurance industry veteran Anthony Hughes as its new chairman and chief executive officer (CEO).
Hughes (pictured) is a non-executive director at Financial & Legal Ltd and MSL Ltd, part of the Drive Further Collective, and has also been a long-term non-executive legal director at Preston North End FC. Before joining FLI/MSL, he was the chief operating officer (COO) at the legal services firm Simpson Millar. He also held C-suite roles at Horwich Farrelly, DWF, and Ricksons and was the managing director at his consulting firm, Jackson Hughes, from 2014 to 2019.
In his new dual role at CHO, effective August 1, Hughes has replaced recently retired Peter Gomes. Meanwhile, Lucy Woods, the current chairman, will step down after completing her two-year term, but will remain on the CHO strategic board.
Hughes commented: “I am looking forward to bringing to the organisation my commercial experience and expertise, as well as my understanding of having worked or represented the insurance sector since the early 1990s. My career has given me the ability to understand both sides of the argument, having also been a director of a company in the accident management sector.
“Insurers and credit hire companies are both challenged by the current crisis in the motor supply chain, which threatens to increase frictional costs. I am keen to ensure that we look for areas of common ground to resolve any differences. Working together to reduce friction is key to ensuring customers can access mobility from our members when they need it.”
Commenting on the latest appointment, Woods highlighted Hughes’s extensive experience in the insurance industry.
“He has the experience and an all-round knowledge to lead the CHO through the current challenging operating environment, ensuring that the interests of our members are fully represented at all levels, including in the media, government, and among other industry stakeholders,” she said.
She also thanked Gomes for his service to the company over the years: “I want to thank Peter [Gomes] for his stewardship of the CHO through a period of significant transition, as the industry emerged from the pandemic, and on behalf of all our members, wish him the very best for his retirement.”
