The international insurance broking group Howden has today announced the overhaul of its executive committee as it reshapes the business ahead of the completion of its acquisition of Aston Lark.
Commenting on the leadership changes, José Manuel González, CEO of Howden Broking, noted that the acquisition of Aston Lark acts as a “catalyst for a major transformation of our proposition both in the UK and globally”. Howden has made announcements of the top-tier management structure, he said, and will continue to communicate the progression of further appointments as completion nears.
Chris Evans has been promoted to deputy CEO, Howden Broking. This newly created role will see Evans take responsibility for developing and enhancing Howden’s client service capabilities and play a key role in the integration of the UK business with Aston Lark. Evans is also chair of A-Plan group.
Alistair Barrett will assume the role of COO, Howden Broking, wherein he will focus on making sure Howden’s operational infrastructure is fit to support its fast-growing business.
Discussing the appointments in a Press release, González said: “Chris and Al have been instrumental in setting up our UK business for future growth and, with the acquisition of Aston Lark, we will be the number one independent broker in our home market. Now it is time for them to turn their focus to our global operations and support me as we develop and enhance Howden’s global capabilities.”
Rebecca Scott will take on the role of chief risk officer of Howden Group to ensure the business has the right risk management practices in place for the next period of growth and will continue to lead Howden Group operations. Meanwhile, Isabelle Cadignan has been appointed chief of staff and head of planning at Howden Broking where she will lead regional coordination across key internal strategies.
The above promotions follow the announcement that Carl Shuker will take on the role of CEO of Howden’s UK & Ireland business – which includes the existing Howden UK retail specialist business, A-Plan Group and Aston Lark – with Peter Blanc acting as executive chairman. Andy Bragoli will assume the role of CEO of Howden’s Global Specialty operations with Paul Redgate as chair.
The Howden UK & Ireland and Global Specialty divisions will share one executive support team.
González touched on the UK & Ireland appointments and highlighted that the acquisition of Aston Lark makes Howden the number one independent broker in the UK with over 6,000 employees across the region.
“Bringing together these teams under one management structure means we will be able to service the full spectrum of clients’ needs,” he said. “The combination of Carl, who has been living and breathing the retail world for decades, and Peter, a highly respected figure in the UK market with an equally impressive track record, will be formidable.”
