Howden expands into New Zealand with Marsh hire

Expansive international insurance broker Howden has further expanded its presence in the Pacific region, following the launch of its Australian operations earlier this year. The move involves hiring of a senior Marsh FinPro leader as well as the  chief executive officer of Wellnz.

Howden has established its operations in New Zealand with presence in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Howden Broking New Zealand will be led by René Hattingh (pictured left) as CEO. She joins from Donaldson Brown, where she was a partner. Prior to that, she was head of FinPro New Zealand at Marsh.

Howden Care, the group's local workplace claims management, rehabilitation and wellness business, will be run by Cliff McCord (pictured right) as CEO. Prior to joining Howden, McCord spent over 20 years at Wellnz - a workplace claims management, rehabilitation and wellness business - where he progressed from case management through to ultimately becoming the CEO.

Matt Bacon, Howden Pacific's chief executive officer, said: “The establishment of the Howden operations in New Zealand is another achievement in a very short time frame for our business in the region. Despite the current climate, Howden has gone from strength to strength in Australia, and we feel certain that our New Zealand team will deliver upon the same trajectory.

“The addition of industry leaders René and Cliff into the Howden family is a huge win for us. We look forward to delivering significant value to our clients through their proven, market-leading expertise.”

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