Howden poaches new Australia CEO and two others from Marsh

Insurance broker  Howden has hired a senior Marsh executive to lead its "ambitious growth plans" in the Australian market as chief executive officer (CEO).

Matt Bacon will join as CEO alongside Stuart McKellar, appointed head of commercial & affinity, and Nick Chubb, who has been appointed head of financial lines.

Bacon joins Howden from Marsh, where he was the CEO of the Mercer Marsh Benefits business for the Pacific region. Prior to that, he was the CEO of JLT’s People Risk consulting business for Australia and New Zealand.

McKellar and Chubb also join Howden from Marsh, where McKellar was previously deputy leader for corporate, commercial & affinity, and Chubb was deputy head of its financial & professional services (FINPRO) practice.

The trio will join a cohort of industry leaders at the firm, to drive forward its ambitious growth objectives of Howden Australia, which launched in March this year. It is focused on specialist industry and product segments such as financial lines, corporate risks, commercial and affinity, workers compensation, group risk and alternative risk transfer solutions.

José Manuel González, CEO of Howden Broking, said: “This is a fantastic evolution of the Howden story. Australia has long been a key geographical target for us, and with the current environment of consolidation, now is our time. We have a proven track record of launching successfully into targeted geographies around the world and growing rapidly. Our entrepreneurial ‘People First’ culture empowers our employees to deliver superior results and it is fantastic to see this already bearing fruit in Australia. We are very excited about the opportunities this market presents.”

David Howden, CEO of Howden Group Holdings, added: “Australia has been a key strategic market for the Group since we launched DUAL in 2004, and now the time is right for us to also enter the Australian market as a broker. We have already proven to be a magnet for the market’s leading entrepreneurial talent and we believe that Matt is the perfect leader for the broking business as we look forward to challenging the status quo and providing a dynamic choice for our people, our clients, and insurers.”

Bacon commented: “I am thrilled to have been afforded the opportunity to join such a forward-thinking, dynamic, entrepreneurial and frankly exciting business at a time when they are looking to expand their offering across the region.

“The team here in Australia have done a superb job in building a very solid foundation from a complete standing start at the beginning of the year. I am looking forward to working with such a talented group of people and rolling my sleeves up to help drive an accelerated but sustainable growth agenda. An agenda that encourages entrepreneurialism and empowers quick and agile decision making, whilst ensuring excellence on behalf of our clients, colleagues and insurer partners – the real ethos of what Howden is.”

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