Key people

David Howden

Group CEO

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.

Andy Bragoli

Global Head of Placement, Howden

Barnaby Rugge-Price

Chair, Howden UK&I

Barnaby was CEO of RKH Specialty, having led it successfully through the merger with Howden Group and growing the business by over 40% in three years. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the London market at RKH, JLT and Fenchurch – with particular expertise in international and North American D&F markets – and was MD of RKH’s Property & Casualty Division before becoming RKH’s CEO in 2015. He was appointed Chair of Howden Broking Group in 2020 and Deputy Chair in 2022.

Carl Shuker

CEO, Howden UK&I

Carl began his career at A-Plan in Oxford in 1981 and, after numerous roles in the business, was appointed as Deputy CEO in 2000 and CEO in 2008. He guided the business through two management buy outs and A-Plan Group's acquisition by Howden in March 2021, when he was appointed to the Group Executive Committee as CEO, Howden UK and Ireland.

Carl is ACII qualified and has an MBA from Henley Management College.

Chye Huat Goh

CEO, Howden Asia

Diahann Williams

Group HR Director

Diahann became Howden Group HR Director in March 2020. She joined us from British American Tobacco, where she led all aspects of talent acquisition across 200+ countries and over 50,000 employees. Diahann has worked in HR leadership roles at global companies including Diageo and BP, developing talent programmes and supporting businesses during periods of high-growth and transformation.

She drives our purpose to attract, develop and retain the very best talent, helping our people build careers, and helping the Group grow sustainably for the long term.

Glenn Thomas

CEO, Health & Benefits and Global Practice Head

Elliot Richardson

Vice Chair & Chair of International, Howden Tiger

Kieran Sweeney

Executive Chair, DUAL

Kieran joined the Group when we acquired Align Financial Holdings ('Align') in 2021. Kieran, who was Founder and CEO of Align, is now Executive Chairman of DUAL Group.

He has more than 30 years of experience in managing insurance, reinsurance and general agency businesses. Before establishing Align in 2003, and Catalytic in 2013, he was president and CEO of Arrowhead General Insurance Agency in San Diego, California.

Louise Cable-Alexander

Group Chief of Staff

Louise is one of the founding members of Howden. Over the last 28 years, she has been a constant and integral member of the Group, working across Howden Broking Group, DUAL, Howden Group Services, the Howden Foundation, and now as Chief of Staff to David Howden.

Luigi Sturani

CEO, Howden Europe

Lyn Grobler

Group Chief Information Officer

Lyn Grobler joined Howden Group in January 2016. As Group CIO, she oversees all aspects of technology implementing an IT strategy to drive the business in its next phase of growth. Lyn is the chair of Howden Group Services.

Before joining Howden Group, Lyn served as Vice President and CIO of Corporate Functions at BP. Lyn is a non-exec Director on the Board of the Bank of Cyprus where she also chairs their Technology Committee.

Mark Craig

Group Chief Financial Officer

Mark has been Howden's Group CFO since January 2020. He previously led the Group's M&A team, debt capital market activity and Treasury team. Mark qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has twenty years of lending and advisory experience working in M&A, leveraged finance and debt advisory. Mark joined Howden Group from KKR where he was investing KKR's European and Global lending funds.

Mark Wood

Deputy Chair Howden UK&I & Chair Howden Asia Pacific

Matt Bacon

CEO, Howden Pacific

Paul Redgate

Deputy Chair, Howden UK&I and Chair, IMEA and LatAM

Peter Blanc

Group Head of M&A

Rebecca Scott

Chief Risk Officer

Rebecca joined Howden in 2014 as Head of Internal Audit, taking on the role of Chief Risk Officer in 2015.

She was appointed COO of the Group in 2019, where she was responsible for working with senior management to implement the Group's strategic vision, from sustainability to our People First initiatives. In 2022, she resumed the role of Chief Risk Officer. Prior to joining Howden, Rebecca was CRO at a Lloyd's Managing Agency and a Partner at chartered accountancy firm Mazars.

Richard Clapham

CEO, DUAL

Richard joined DUAL group, the underwriting arm of Howden Group, 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.

Rob Bredahl

CEO, Howden Tiger

Rowan Douglas

CEO, Climate Risk and Resilience

Sarah Hughes

CEO, Howden Specialty

Sonia Caamaño

CEO, International Growth Markets

Tim Ronda

President, Howden Tiger

Toby Pollard

Managing Director, Head of Howden Markets

Will Bloomer

Group Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer

Will became Howden Group's Chief Corporate and Legal Affairs Officer in August 2021. His main focus is on major, complex corporate initiatives and development.

He previously held the role of Group General Counsel from 2013 - 2021, having joined Howden Group in March 2012 as Howden's Corporate and Legal Director.

Prior to joining the Group, Will spent 12 years with Heath Lambert (later Gallagher Heath) as General Counsel and Compliance Director. He was also Group Company Secretary.

He began his career as a solicitor with Cameron McKenna in London and Hong Kong.

Dominic Collins

Executive Chairman

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 Howden

Group CEO

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.

Mark Craig

Group Chief Financial Officer

Mark has been Howden's Group CFO since January 2020. He previously led the Group's M&A team, debt capital market activity and Treasury team. Mark qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has twenty years of lending and advisory experience working in M&A, leveraged finance and debt advisory. Mark joined Howden Group from KKR where he was investing KKR's European and Global lending funds.

Luis Muñoz-Rojas

Non-Executive Director

James Parry-Crooke

Non-Executive Director

James is a Principal at CDPQ and focuses on private equity investments in the financial services sector. Prior to joining CDPQ 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

Non-Executive Director

Caroline Woodworth

Non-Executive Director

Clement B Booth

Non-Executive Director

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 is currently member of the Supervisory Board of Munich Reinsurance Company AG in Munich, Germany. He is also involved in consulting and executive coaching.

Mark Stephen

Non-Executive Director

David Hodgson

Non-Executive Director

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 Friedwagner

Non-Executive Director

Kelly Lyles

Non-Executive Director

Andrew Land

Non-Executive Director