Howden brings its unique entrepreneurial model, ambitious growth plans, and fresh choice for talent and clients to U.S. retail broking market

Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, today announces the appointment of Mike Parrish as Chief Executive Officer, Howden U.S., and of Jim Hays as Vice Chairman, Howden Group Holdings. Mike will build a next-generation U.S. retail broking business for clients and talent, bringing Howden’s unique employee-ownership driven and client-centric model to the largest and most dynamic insurance market in the world. Jim will bring more than 40 years’ U.S. insurance industry experience to the Howden Group Board.

Mike is one of the industry’s most successful business builders, with a proven track record of scaling highly successful U.S. operations. His appointment reflects Howden’s approach to empowering the very best leaders in each territory to build great businesses by attracting exceptional talent and giving that talent the freedom to put their clients at the heart of the business. Mike spent the best part of two decades at Aon, where he built a market-leading business, before joining Marsh in 2021. He will join Howden in September, subject to the fulfilment of relevant contractual obligations.

Jim is a deeply experienced U.S. 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 U.S. brokers.

Howden started with three people in 1994 and has become a top 10 global broker with more than 22,000 people, including nearly 6,000 employee shareholders who own 34% of the Group. It has done this by attracting entrepreneurs to build businesses across 56 countries, today managing $47 billion in premiums and providing a full-service offering across retail, specialty, and reinsurance broking, risk capital advisory, employee benefits, and underwriting and program management.

Howden already has substantial operations in the U.S. where more than a quarter of its revenue is generated. It has operated in the U.S. for more than a decade through DUAL, one of the world’s largest Managing General Agents, through Howden Re, one of only four global reinsurance brokers, and through many years of supporting US-domiciled clients as their wholesale broker in international markets, with more than $18bn of US premiums today.

Jim Hays, Vice Chairman, Howden Group Holdings, said: “I could not be more energized to join this incredibly exciting, deeply ambitious Group with its army of entrepreneurs dedicated to serving clients. And of course, to work with David, who is in my view one of the most visionary leaders in business today. I was privileged to count Neil Armstrong as a personal friend, so the fact that the news of Howden’s further investment in the USA was first rumoured in the press on the 21st July - the day an American first walked on the Moon – was particularly apposite for me.”

David Howden, CEO, Howden, said: “From the beginning we built Howden on the principle that if we look after our people they will look after our clients. This means we hire great people and get out of their way, truly empowering them to do what’s best for their clients. This is why our organic growth consistently outperforms the market.

“Mike’s appointment is an incredibly important moment in our 30-year history of building a global group with an energetic and entrepreneurial culture, owned by the people who work in it. The foundation of our success has always been in finding the right leaders who are driven to build a business they can be proud of. In Mike we’ve found one of insurance’s most outstanding leaders, with an owner’s mindset and an unrivalled track-record, who wants the freedom to build a business that is an alternative home for talent and clients in the U.S. And in Jim we have one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in the U.S., who brings a wealth of experience to the Group Board as we accelerate towards our ambitious 2030 vision.

“I am passionate about the role insurance can play in the world, facilitating growth and helping to solve some of the biggest challenges we are facing. In a consolidating market we’re answering a clear desire from clients, insurers, and talent for choice by being the destination for top talent. And I am especially proud that when others in the broking market are cutting costs, we are investing to create jobs in the U.S. to provide better service to clients. We will combine the full weight of our global capabilities to deliver expertise and service with a difference in the U.S. and internationally.

“Our doors are now open. We can’t wait to get started.”

About Howden

Howden is a global insurance intermediary group with employee ownership at its heart. Founded in 1994, it provides insurance broking, reinsurance broking and underwriting services and solutions to clients ranging from individuals to the largest multinational companies.

The group operates in 56 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, employing 22,000 people and handling $47bn of premium on behalf of clients.

Further information can be found at www.howdengroup.com and www.howdengroupholdings.com.

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