Howden Employee Benefits and Markel International have announced senior leadership appointments covering employee benefits operations and specialist financial risks, including professional liability, D&O, crime and cyber insurance.
Howden appoints Peter Murphy as COO of expanded employee benefits business
Howden Employee Benefits (HEB) has appointed Peter Murphy as chief operating officer, effective September 1. In his new role, Murphy will oversee operations across Howden’s expanded UK employee benefits business, which now includes around 2,600 colleagues following the integration of Barnett Waddingham, the employee benefits consultancy arm of Evelyn Partners, and Hymans Robertson’s insurance and financial services consulting team.
Murphy has spent the past six years as COO of Howden’s employee benefits division. He will report to Glenn Thomas, CEO and global practice leader for health and employee benefits.
Before joining Howden, Murphy spent 15 years at WTW, where he held client-facing, operational and transformation leadership positions. His appointment follows several senior additions to the Howden Employee Benefits leadership team over the past year. The business previously appointed Carla Hammond as CFO from Jones Lang LaSalle, Rob Byett as chief risk officer from Hargreaves Lansdown, and Andy Samuel as global chief technology officer from Ardonagh Advisory.
Howden’s employee benefits division has around 4,000 specialists across 40 countries and generates combined revenues of more than £500 million. Howden Group has set a goal of reaching £10 billion in revenue by 2030, with employee benefits identified as an important contributor to that target.
As the integrated businesses move toward greater operational consolidation, employers and corporate clients using their benefits programmes may see changes to service touchpoints, reporting formats and adviser contacts. A key priority is the development of a unified technology and data platform across the combined business, with Murphy expected to play a central role in the integration process.
Markel appoints Nick Rugg to lead financial institutions and fintech
Markel International has appointed Nick Rugg as head of financial institutions and fintech, professional and financial risks and cyber within its London-based specialty insurance operation. The appointment is effective immediately.
Rugg will report to Martin McCarron, director of financial institutions and management liability, international. He will lead the team responsible for professional indemnity, D&O, crime and cyber insurance across four areas: investment managers, fintech, traditional financial institutions and offshore financial institutions.
Rugg joined Markel in 2014 as a financial institutions underwriter and has since held several senior underwriting roles. Most recently, he served as head of fintech and investment management insurance. He brings more than 20 years of underwriting experience and previously worked as a financial institutions underwriter at Arch Europe.
The appointment follows Bhavik Desai’s move to managing director of professional and financial risks and cyber in London. It also brings the broader financial institutions portfolio under Rugg’s leadership.
For brokers placing fintech, investment management or traditional financial institutions risks through Markel’s London specialty operation, Rugg’s expanded mandate now covers all four product areas rather than only the fintech and investment management portfolio he previously managed. His experience includes developing combined cyber and financial institutions coverage across professional liability, D&O and cyber risks.
