Aston Lark appoints new CEO and CFO in Ireland

Aston Lark, the UK Chartered insurance broker backed by Goldman Sachs, has created two new executive board positions in Ireland, following the recent acquisition of Wright Insurance Brokers and the earlier acquisition of Robertson Low.

Robert Kennedy will join as chief executive officer Ireland and Mark Nolan will join as chief financial officer Ireland. They will both join in March 2020, subject to standard regulatory approval.

Robert Kennedy joins Aston Lark from Aviva Ireland where he was head of sales and distribution, leading the development of Aviva’s broker business for the last six years. Prior to Aviva he held senior positions at both Aon and RSA.

Mark Nolan joins from AA Ireland where he was financial controller. He is a chartered accountant with a background in audit, specialising in insurance and banking whilst at Deloitte. From Deloitte he joined Quotedevil and Pembroke Insurances as financial controller and was a key member of the management team that saw QuoteDevil included in the Financial Times 1,000 fastest growing companies in Europe.

Robert and Mark will join the boards of Robertson Low and Wright Insurance Brokers. Robertson Low’s current managing director, Andy Low, will move into the role of executive chairman for Robertson Low and the founders of Wright Insurance Brokers, Tony and Breda Wright, will remain on the company’s board.
Peter Blanc, Group CEO Aston Lark said: “I look forward to welcoming Robert and Mark to the team to help drive our ambition for growth. They will both bring their extensive leadership experience to bear as we look to fulfil our potential in Ireland. This is an important stage in Aston Lark’s development plans to create the leading quality independent insurance broking business in Ireland.”

Robert Kennedy added: “I am delighted to be joining Aston Lark to build on the fantastic work of Andy Low, Tony Wright and Breda Wright. I am in the enviable position of having a great team already in place and I look forward to working with the team to realise Aston Lark’s ambition for Ireland through a combination of organic growth and acquiring like-minded brokers.”