Howden swoops for Marsh JLT talent as M&A demand surges in Asia Pacific

Howden M&A, part of international insurance broker  Howden Broking, has bolstered its Asia Pacific broking unit with a senior hire from Marsh JLT, in response to “significant growth” in deals in the region and surging demand for M&A insurance policies, including warranty and indemnity insurance, title insurance and tax insurance.

In Singapore, James Kay (pictured left) has joined as a director. With over eight years of experience negotiating bespoke insurance solutions for global M&A transactions, Kay is a qualified solicitor having practiced with Norton Rose Fulbright LLP until 2015. Prior to joining Howden, he worked for Marsh JLT where he was regional assistant director for Asia with direct responsibility for all South Asian M&A insurance solutions.

In Hong Kong, Simon Worker (pictured right) has relocated from Howden M&A’s London W&I team to bolster its Hong Kong offering. As a director, he will lead on advising clients and negotiating M&A insurance solutions to help mitigate transactional risks. He will have a particular focus on multi-jurisdictional operational transactions.

In 2021, there were 20,694 deals with an aggregate value of $1.193 trillion in APAC, according to Howden, up from 17,745 deals worth $921 billion in 2020. Consequently, there is a significant growth in demand for M&A insurance in APAC, with clients seeking to manage the transactional risks that arise in the course of M&A transactions, the broker said.

Kay and Worker’s addition to Howden M&A’s APAC team will strengthen the existing team in the region. In Singapore, Kay joins Goh Tze Yang. Tze Yang is a director in Howden M&A’s APAC team, having joined in 2017, following four years at Allen and Gledhill.  In Hong Kong, Worker joins Isabella Ma, a senior associate at Howden M&A since June 2021 and an experienced corporate lawyer specialising in PE M&A.

Jenny Lim, executive director and head of financial lines Asia, said: “With our growing clientele base in Asia, we believe that having a strong M&A specialty presence within Asia will allow Howden to better service our clients who are increasingly looking into M&A opportunities to enhance their businesses.  Talent acquisition is central to our strategy, and we are confident that our newly expanded team is well-equipped to match this increased demand.”

Drew Wardrope, managing director of Howden M&A, said: “This is a very exciting time for Howden M&A as we continue to grow and invest for our clients. We placed more than 1,200 policies on almost 800 deals in 2021 and recently opened offices in Copenhagen and Brussels, enabling us to deliver our experience and expertise in local markets.

“Our continued investment in APAC follows a significant uptick in activity in the region and we are now best positioned, with the backing of an international platform and the arrival of our new colleagues on the ground, to meet clients’ needs.”

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