Hiscox UK has a new man at the helm. The UK arm of the specialist global insurer today announced the appointment of Bob Thaker (pictured) as its new chief executive officer for the UK.
Thaker will take up the position in March 2019, subject to regulatory approval. He’s a familiar face, having worked at Hiscox since 2010. He joined the firm as head of strategy and has since held a string of senior roles, including group chief risk officer, and head of claims for Hiscox UK and Europe – a position he held for two years before relocating to Asia in 2014.
In Asia, Thaker became chief operating officer of DirectAsia, a newly-acquired direct-to-consumer personal lines insurance business. In January 2015, he was appointed CEO of the DirectAsia Group.
Commenting on his new role, Thaker said: “I’m delighted to be returning to Hiscox UK and honoured to lead a great team which has consistently served customers superbly and created a strong market position over many years. I know from my time with the business a few years ago that we’re fortunate to enjoy fabulous support from our broker partners for which we remain incredibly grateful. I look forward to working with the team and these terrific partners to build on these great foundations in the years ahead.”
Thaker is taking over from Steve Langan, who moved to the USA in 2018 as Hiscox USA CEO and remains the Hiscox Group’s chief marketing officer. As the UK chief exec, Thaker will lead the 800-strong UK team and will be based out of Birmingham. He will report to Ben Walter, CEO of Hiscox Global Retail, who is responsible for Hiscox USA, Hiscox UK, Hiscox Europe and Hiscox Special Risks.
Walter commented: “Bob is a natural champion of the customer who will lead the UK team in its next phase of growth. We will benefit from Bob’s experience navigating intensely competitive markets and developing creative partnership opportunities.”
