Howden lands Towergate senior exec to expand Aston Lark in Wales

Insurance broker  Aston Lark, a part of Howden Group, has appointed a regional director from Towergate to lead its new South Wales office - one of the strategic locations where the company intends to grow its headcount and capabilities.

The appointment follows the opening of a new regional office in the Thames Valley, and one in South Wales, where Aston Lark will seek to drive growth and complement Welsh insurance broker Watkin Davies, a subsidiary of A-Plan Insurance, a Howden company.

Leading Aston Lark’s new office encompassing the whole of South Wales is Gary Stevens, formerly area director – Bristol and Wales for Towergate Insurance Brokers.

Stevens has almost 40 years of experience in the insurance industry, of which 21 has been devoted to delivering insurance broking services in Wales. He was the first employee of Antur Insurance Services in 2001, and grew the business year on year with more than 10 broker acquisitions, before it was sold to CCV (a subsidiary of Towergate Insurance Brokers) in 2011.

More recently, Stevens held a variety of area and regional roles with Towergate Insurance Brokers, with his original remit of Swansea, gradually increasing to also encompass Cardiff and Bristol.

Warren Dickson, Aston Lark managing director – UK retail, said: “Until recently, our focus has been on growing our business organically and through acquiring like-minded businesses with a compatible and complementary area of expertise.

“Becoming part of Howden in April 2022 opened up additional avenues for growth, including more investment in talent, individuals and offices, as we work towards achieving our goal of becoming the biggest and best British broker.”

Stevens commented: “My goal is to help establish Aston Lark as a leading insurance broker in Wales by attracting a team of talented individuals who can work together to help drive the business forward, while at the same time, providing opportunities for those with no experience in the industry to get a foot on the insurance career ladder.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with the team at Watkin Davies to help deliver more in person support and advice for our valued clients.”

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