Howden Group Holdings attracts entrepreneurs, creative thinkers, and people who want to help everyone thrive. They are drawn to a culture where they can build a home and a career – and where they can be themselves. That's because our senior leaders are committed to creating a place where people truly want to work. We plan for the long-term, prioritising our people's development and success as much as our own. If that sounds like your kind of environment, search our vacancies or find out more about the group strategy and our approach.
Group Executive Committee
Barnaby Rugge-Price
Barnaby Rugge-Price
Deputy Chair
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
Carl Shuker
Chief Executive Officer, UK & Ireland
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.
David Howden
David Howden
Chief Executive Officer
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.
Diahann Williams
Diahann Williams
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.
José Manuel González
José Manuel González
Chief Executive Officer
José Manuel started his career with Howden Group as the CEO of Howden Iberia, where he built the business from scratch to become the fourth largest broker in the Spanish market. He also led Howden's successful expansion into Latin America, as regional CEO
He is now CEO of Howden Broking Group and Vice President of Howden Iberia.
José Manuel studied Economics in ICADE Business School in Madrid and is currently taking a degree in Politics. Prior to joining Howden in 2008, he worked at BP as a senior economist.
Kieran A. Sweeney
Kieran A. Sweeney
Executive Chair
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
Louise Cable-Alexander
Chief of Staff
Louise is one of the founding members of Howden Group. 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.
Lyn Grobler
Lyn Grobler
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.
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
Mark Craig
Chief Financial Officer
Mark has been Howden Group's 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.
Peter Blanc
Peter Blanc
Executive Chairman, UK & Ireland
After starting his career in motor underwriting, Peter switched to broking, and eventually led a management buy-out of the UK commercial division of Farr in 2000 which he then named FMW Risk Services Ltd. He grew this business to approximately £25m gross written premium before selling the business in December 2007 to Oval. In 2012 Peter was appointed Chief Executive of Oval and he ran the business through until its eventual sale to Arthur J. Gallagher which completed in April 2014.
In May 2015 Peter concluded a management buy-in of Aston Scott and then led the merger with Lark Group in 2017. As Group CEO, he grew the business to more than 1,600 staff operating from over 60 offices across the UK and Ireland and writing just over £1billion of gross written premium. In April 2022 Aston Lark was acquired by Howden Group Holdings and Peter became Executive Chairman of the Howden UK & Ireland business.
Peter was non-executive chairman at Hastings Insurance Services Ltd, the broker arm of Hastings Direct up until the end of 2021 and has previously served as chairman of the Large Brokers’ Advisory Board at the British Insurance Brokers Insurance Association (BIBA).
Rebecca Scott
Rebecca Scott
Chief Risk Officer
Rebecca joined Howden Group 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 Group, Rebecca was CRO at a Lloyd’s Managing Agency and a Partner at chartered accountancy firm Mazars.
Richard Clapham
Richard Clapham
Chief Executive Officer
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.
Will Bloomer
Will Bloomer
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.
Group Board
Dominic Collins
Dominic Collins
Executive Chairman
Dominic was appointed to the Howden Group Board as Chairman in May 2015. He has forty 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
David Howden
Chief Executive Officer
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
Mark Craig
Chief Financial Officer
Mark was appointed to the board in 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
Luis Muñoz-Rojas
Non-Executive Director
Luis is a founding Director of DUAL International. He opened the first DUAL operation in Madrid in August 1998, having previously served as a Director of GyC América, a reinsurance broking subsidiary of Gil y Caravajal (now part of Aon).
During that time Luis had considerable involvement in the Latin American territories. Luis began his insurance career in 1989 working with GyC & Partners, the British subsidiary of the GyC Group.
James Parry-Crooke
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
John Bernstein
Non-Executive Director
John Bernstein is one of our Non-Executive Directors and head of the Group's Sustainability Committee. As a partner of sustainable investment firm Generation Investment Management, he chairs the investment committee of the growth equity business.
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
Caroline Woodworth
Non-Executive Director
Caroline is a Vice President at General Atlantic and focuses on investments in the firm’s Financial Services sector. Before joining General Atlantic in 2015, she was a Senior Associate at J.C. Flowers & Co. in London where she focused on investments in the financial services sector. Prior to that, she worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions group at Citigroup in New York. She joined the Howden Group Board in February 2020.
Clement B Booth
Clement B Booth
Non-Executive Director
Clem was appointed to the Howden Group 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
Mark Stephen
Non-Executive Director
Mark was appointed to the Howden Group Board and Chair of the Audit Committee on 17 May 2018. Mark has over 30 years’ experience of advising and working with insurance boards, including how they adapt to the changing regulatory and business landscape. He was previously a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he was the UK insurance industry leader. He is a chartered accountant, Non-Executive Chairman of TransRe London Limited, and is a Non-Executive Director of the Pension Insurance Corporation and of Openwork Holdings.
David Hodgson
David Hodgson
Non-Executive Director
David joined the Howden Group 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
Ralph Friedwagner
Non-Executive Director
Ralph is a Managing Director and operating partner in CDPQ’s European Private Equity team. He has more than 20 years’ experience as an executive, advisor and board member of private companies across a range of sectors, including financial services, business services, technology, and industrials.
Before joining CDPQ, he was an operating partner at Montagu Private Equity, the CEO of a private equity-backed European infrastructure provider, a partner at Bain & Company, and an investor and operational advisor to start-ups.
Ralph joined the Howden Group Board in November 2020.
Kelly Lyles
Kelly Lyles
Non-Executive Director
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.
Andrew Land
Andrew Land
Non-Executive Director
Andrew is a Partner at Hg and joined the Howden Group Board in 2021. He leads software and services investments in the financial services sector, with a focus on insurance. He has more than 20 years experience in private equity, having started his investing career at DLJ in 1999. He was previously a member of the Credit Suisse Financial Institutions Group.