Howden announces strategic appointments to Global Financial Sponsors practice as it invests in private capital advisory capabilities.

• Howden investing in strategic hires to enhance Global Financial Sponsors team’s capabilities to serve private capital sector clients, including private equity, private credit, infrastructure and sovereign investors, as well as corporates for M&A.
• Emily Almond and Sebastiano Doria to join Howden's existing expertise and accelerate expansion across all investment strategies.
• Investment in talent follows the recent acquisition of Atlantic Global Risk, new transactional liability talent in Asia, and builds on Howden’s position as the market leader in European transactional liability insurance

London, 5 March 2026: Howden, the global insurance broker, today announces the appointments to its Global Financial Sponsors practice of Emily Almond as divisional CEO and Sebastiano Doria as Chair.

Clients in this sector have unique needs for tailored risk advisory and insurance solutions that support them throughout the investment lifecycle – from transactional risk solutions at deal stage to portfolio company insurance and risk advisory throughout ownership and exit. The investment in this team reflects Howden’s commitment to deliver the very best service for private capital clients wherever they are based or investing.  

This team will sit alongside Howden's existing global expertise including its Capital, Advisory and Placement (CAP) team. These capabilities have been recently strengthened by the acquisition of Atlantic Global Risk, a top five independent transactional liability insurance broker in the US, and by a series of strategic appointments in its rapidly-growing transactional liability team across Asia. Howden is already the largest transaction liability insurance broker outside of the US and the market leader in Europe.

Emily will join from Marsh where she has held the role of Chief Client Officer. She brings over 18 years of experience advising private capital investors on M&A, risk mitigation and transfer to help them overcome complex challenges in portfolio company operational risks. 

Sebastiano is a 25-year veteran of the private equity insurance industry, and is formerly of Marsh, where he was MD and Vice Chairman, Global and International Private Equity, advising boards, CEOs and CFOs, financial sponsors and corporates. Both Emily and Sebastiano will be responsible for establishing and managing how Howden serves the private capital sector globally. 
 
David Howden, CEO and Founder, Howden said: “What sets Howden apart is our ability to attract and harness the best expertise in the market across the world. With Emily and Sebastiano, we continue to strengthen our global service for private capital clients, building on our recent investment in talent in the US and Asia and our existing strong transactional liability capabilities.”
 
Sarah Hughes, CEO, Howden Specialty, said: “I am delighted that Emily and Sebastiano have chosen to join Howden to help us design a coordinated global offering for this important sector. It is a further example of our commitment to investing in the very best talent across the globe.”