Key people

David started his career as a broker at Alexander Howden in 1981. He founded the Group in 1994 originally as a wholesale broker employing just three people. He has been the fundamental driving force behind its expansion into an international insurance group offering wholesale, retail and reinsurance broking and underwriting.

As Chief Executive. David's focus is on leading the Group's M&A activities as well as directing and implementing the Group's strategic growth and direction.

David Shalders was appointed to the Howden Group Board on 15 October 2024 and subsequently established the Group Operating Committee, where he serves as chair.

David is an experienced COO, leading functions including operations and technology, with 35 years of managing and transforming COO teams in banking, capital markets and insurance. His global experience includes building and operating teams across Asia, EMEA and the USA.

Prior executive appointments include COO and Head of Integration at the London Stock Exchange Group, Group Operations & Technology Director at Willis Towers Watson, and COO at RBS Markets & International Banking.

David also served as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Risk Committee at TP ICAP, and is currently a Trustee at the Charities Aid Foundation.

David holds Masters degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics.

Louise is one of the three founding members of Howden. Over the past three decades she has been an integral member of the Group. Considering herself fortunate to have played a key function in all parts of the business, Louise’s roles have ranged from Group to the regions, from specialist financial lines to underwriting. Starting out as a specialist broker, Louise went on to set up DUAL Italy in Milan, ran Howden North Europe for a few years and is currently Chief of Staff to David Howden.

Besides serving on the Global Leadership Team and the Business Management Team, Louise sits on the Howden D&I committee and the Howden Foundation. She is a passionate advocate for employee ownership, for the value of insurance and for the role the private sector can play in mitigating the effects of climate change on the most vulnerable communities.

Mike leads Howden's expansion into the US retail insurance, spanning all 50 states, 18 industry verticals, Employee Health and Benefits, the Middle Market, Private Capital and Private Client. He also oversees Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and the Caribbean, spanning corporate and commercial lines, Private Capital, key sector verticals, and Employee Health and Benefits.

Prior to joining Howden, Mike spent nearly two decades at Aon, where he oversaw retail broking and key client relationships along the Eastern Seaboard. He also led Marsh's Florida-zone business, one of the company’s largest, most complex and strategically significant territories in the United States. He served on the Executive Committee for both firms, earning repeated recognition for client growth, client satisfaction, and organizational leadership.

Mike previously served for more than two decades with the Southern Florida chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where he was named Man of the Year for record-setting fundraising. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mike holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and business management from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Richard joined DUAL Group, the underwriting arm of Howden, in 2016. With over 30 years' experience in the industry, Richard has previously lead Markel's professional indemnity division and has spent a decade at XL Catlin, where he was a member of the group underwriting board, a director of Catlin Underwriting Agency Ltd and a member of the UK executive committee.

Robert started his career in Aon Ireland in 2004 within the New Business team initially focused on developing Aon’s Professional Indemnity business. In 2009 he became a director and was seconded to a project looking at how to harmonise revenue generation across EMEA. Having returned to Ireland to manage insurer relationships, Robert switched to the insurer side joining RSA and subsequently Aviva. At Aviva Robert was responsible for driving profitable growth in the broker channel in Ireland developing new products, propositions and relationships. In March 2020 he returned to the broking sector joining Aston Lark Ireland, and subsequently, Howden Ireland as CEO.

Sarah was appointed CEO of Specialty at Howden in October 2023, which encompasses the following businesses: Natural Resources, Property, Casualty, Logistics, Construction, Financial Lines Group, Sport and Entertainment, Fine Art and Specie, Mergers and Acquisitions, Tax and Contingent Risk, Credit and Political Risk, Surety, Climate Transition Risk and Real Estate.

Sarah joined Howden in 2019 as CEO of Financial Lines Group. She was previously head of JLT’s Financial Lines Group and prior to that was at Aon for 20 years where she headed the D&O, M&A and Financial Institutions teams.

In April 2024 Sarah was appointed to The London Market Group board as a representative of London & International Insurance Brokers Association (LIIBA).

Susan brings immense experience and expertise to Howden. Prior to joining us in January 2026, she spent two decades at News Corp (a US-listed company) where she held senior board and leadership positions, including as their CFO for eight years. In that role, Susan guided News Corp through a period of major growth and transformation, a number of significant strategic investments and help them realise record results. Susan has previously worked for AngloGold Ashanti and Ansett Australia, having started her career as an accountant with KPMG.

Tim Ronda is the CEO of Howden Re, the global reinsurance arm of Howden Group which includes Howden Capital Markets & Advisory, and Bowood & Howden Re Programs. Tim is also a member of the Howden Executive Leadership Team.

With extensive experience across the reinsurance sector, Tim was appointed CEO in January 2024, after serving as President of Howden Tiger and previously TigerRisk Partners. He was instrumental in the acquisition of TigerRisk by Howden, which created a leading global reinsurance broker, strategic advisory and capital markets business.

Prior to TigerRisk, Tim held key leadership roles at Aon, serving as the Global Geographic Leader and U.S. President for Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions division. He joined Aon from Guy Carpenter, where he was Senior Vice President. Tim holds degrees in Business Administration and Accounting from Washington & Lee University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Dominic was appointed to the Howden Board as Chairman in May 2015. He has fifty years' experience in the insurance industry and previously held the positions of Chairman at The RKH Group, Chief Executive of Lloyd Thompson and Chairman of JLT Risk Solutions, JLT UK and JLT International. He was a Director of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group from its formation in 1997.

David started his career as a broker at Alexander Howden in 1981. He founded the Group in 1994 originally as a wholesale broker employing just three people. He has been the fundamental driving force behind its expansion into an international insurance group offering wholesale, retail and reinsurance broking and underwriting.

As Chief Executive. David's focus is on leading the Group's M&A activities as well as directing and implementing the Group's strategic growth and direction.

David Shalders was appointed to the Howden Group Board on 15 October 2024 and subsequently established the Group Operating Committee, where he serves as chair.

David is an experienced COO, leading functions including operations and technology, with 35 years of managing and transforming COO teams in banking, capital markets and insurance. His global experience includes building and operating teams across Asia, EMEA and the USA.

Prior executive appointments include COO and Head of Integration at the London Stock Exchange Group, Group Operations & Technology Director at Willis Towers Watson, and COO at RBS Markets & International Banking.

David also served as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Risk Committee at TP ICAP, and is currently a Trustee at the Charities Aid Foundation.

David holds Masters degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics.

Susan brings immense experience and expertise to Howden. Prior to joining us in January 2026, she spent two decades at News Corp (a US-listed company) where she held senior board and leadership positions, including as their CFO for eight years. In that role, Susan guided News Corp through a period of major growth and transformation, a number of significant strategic investments and help them realise record results. Susan has previously worked for AngloGold Ashanti and Ansett Australia, having started her career as an accountant with KPMG.

Jim is a deeply experienced US insurance executive and entrepreneur who previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Hays Company, an insurance broker which he founded in 1994 and sold to Brown & Brown in 2018. He served as Vice Chair and as a member of the Board of Brown & Brown, Inc. He started Hays as a seven-person operation and oversaw more than 25 years of growth to build one of the leading independent US brokers.

James is a Principal at La Caisse (formerly CDPQ) and focuses on private equity investments in the financial services sector. Prior to joining La Caisse in 2018, he was an investment banker with Rothschild & Co in London and holds a Masters in Engineering Science from Oxford University.

James joined the Howden Group Board in May 2022.

John Bernstein is a partner of sustainable investment firm Generation Investment Management.

From 2008 to 2017, John was head of General Atlantic in Europe Middle East and Africa. John led General Atlantic’s investment in Howden Group and has been on our board since July 2013.

John holds an M.A. in economics and law from Downing College, Cambridge University, and qualified as a barrister. He is a board member of the NamibRan Nature Reserve in Namibia and chairs the Africa Council of The Nature Conservancy.

Caroline Woodworth is a Managing Director at General Atlantic and focuses on investments in the firm’s Financial Services sector. Before joining General Atlantic in 2015, Caroline was a Senior Associate at J.C. Flowers & Co. in London where she focused on investments in the financial services sector. Prior to that, Caroline was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions group at Citigroup in New York. Caroline chairs the Sustainability Committee at Howden.

Clem was appointed to the Howden Board in October 2015, having been involved in the insurance industry since 1974.

He was a member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE in Munich, Germany, between 2006 and 2014. Prior to joining Allianz, he was Chairman and CEO of Aon Re International based in London.

Between 1999 and 2003, he was a Member of the Board of Management of Munich Re AG in Munich. Prior to this, he was CEO of Munich Re of Africa Ltd and Chairman of Munich Mauritius Reinsurance Company, based in Johannesburg.

Clem has chaired or served on the boards of numerous companies around the world including in South Africa, Mauritius, Swaziland, Germany, France, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, United States of America, Switzerland, Australia and others.

His past chairmanships include Euler Hermes SE (France), Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty (Germany), Allianz Life of America and Firemans Fund (United States), Allianz Insurance plc (UK), New Re (then in Geneva) and Acord (Pearl River, New York). He also, until recently, served on the boards of Sanlam and Santam in South Africa.

Clem was a member of the Supervisory Board of Munich Reinsurance Company AG in Munich, Germany for 10 years until 30 April 2026 . He is also involved in consulting and executive coaching.

Mark was appointed to the Howden Group Board and Chair of the Audit Committee (later the Audit and Risk Committee) on 17 May 2018. He also chairs the Remuneration Committee.

Mark has over 35 years’ experience of advising and working with insurance boards, including how they adapt to the changing regulatory and business landscape. He was previously a Consulting Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he was the UK insurance industry leader. He qualified as a chartered accountant, was previously Non Executive Chairman of TransRe London Limited and was previously Non Executive Director of Pension Insurance Corporation PLC. He is currently a Non Executive Director of Openwork Holdings Limited and Fidelis Underwriting Limited.

David joined the Howden Board in July 2013. He is Vice Chairman of General Atlantic, where he has been part of the investment team for over 30 years.

He serves as a director for a number of public and private companies, including Alignment Healthcare, Amherst Pierpont Securities and TriNet. David is Co-Chairman of the Board of Echoing Green, a provider of fellowship support for entrepreneurs that he helped found in 1987. He also serves as Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of Johns Hopkins Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation and The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Ralph is a Managing Director and Operating Partner in the Private Equity team at La Caisse (formerly CDPQ), and a member of the Global Portfolio Management Committee. He has over 20 years’ experience as an active investor, board director, CEO, and advisor of private companies across a range of sectors including financial services, business services, and technology. Prior to joining La Caisse, he was a partner at Montagu Private Equity, CEO of a private equity-backed European infrastructure provider, partner at Bain & Co, and start-up entrepreneur.

Ralph joined the Howden Group Board in November 2020.

Kelly was appointed to the Howden Group Board in July 2021.

She brings over 35 years of industry experience and a strong global perspective.

Kelly began her career with AIG in New York before moving to London and Paris where she held multiple leadership roles, with responsibility across EMEA. From AIG, she moved to XL Catlin where she was a member of the Group Leadership Team, responsible for managing the insurer’s presence around the world, a role that she continued when XL merged with AXA.

Justin is a Managing Partner at Hg. Since joining the firm in 2002, Justin has led more than 30 investments. Prior to Hg, Justin was a professional at Goldman Sachs and Deloitte. He holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Cologne.