HOWDEN BROKING GROUP BOARD

David Howden - Chairman

David is Chairman of Howden Broking group and CEO of parent company Hyperion Insurance Group.  His focus is on leading the Group’s M&A activities as well as directing and implementing the Group’s growth and direction.

What is a global broking group operating in 20 countries today was a business that David started in a small office in London in 1994.  Since the doors were opened, David has steered Howden to become a specialist player in all of the markets in which it operates.

David started his career as an insurance broker at Alexander Howden in 1980 and has over 30 years' experience in Lloyd's and the London and overseas markets.  Since he founded the Group he has been the driving force behind its expansion.

 
Tim Coles - Chief Executive Officer

As CEO, Tim is responsible for driving the Group’s strategy in pursuit of Howden’s vision and mission – to be a world class broking group, differentiated by our ability to achieve where others cannot, and to take a leading market share in every sector or territory in which we operate.

Tim joined Howden February 2002 as Director of Marketing, and soon established and became Managing Director of Howden Risk Partners, a division specialising in the provision of management liability products to the investment industry.  He has been CEO of Howden Insurance Brokers in the UK since 2002, and took the reins as CEO of Howden Broking Group in January 2010.

Prior to joining Howden, Tim was an officer in the British Army for 13 years, serving with the Parachute Regiment and Special Forces before leaving for the technology industry in which he performed business development and operational roles.

Simon Behagg - Chief Operating Officer

As COO, Simon is responsible for global group operations, including the operational management of mergers and acquisitions.

Simon joined Howden in January 2010 from Aon Benfield International where he was Head of Strategy.  Prior to this, he was the Global Head of Operations within Benfield’s Facultative Solutions Team, part of a four-man executive responsible for running a business with 100 staff in 12 offices, across 10 countries.

Simon has over 15 years’ industry experience, nine of which were spent as a Credit, Bond and Political Risk broker.  He holds a degree in Economics from the University of London, and a Management Diploma from Kingston.

 
Andy Bragoli - Group Broking Director

As Group Broking Director Andy has responsibility for capacity issues for the Group’s Broking Operation worldwide, as well as for the development of new products.

Andy’s expertise in the Professional Liability insurance market is known worldwide, having focused on this insurance sector for over 25 years.

He began his career in 1982 as a broker at Lowndes Lambert Group and by 1989 had become Director of the Lloyd’s broker Nelson Hurst & Marsh, one of the first brokers to specialise in Errors and Omissions Insurance.

John Bennett - Chief Executive Officer, Howden Insurance Brokers

As CEO of Howden Insurance Brokers, John is responsible for the Group’s London market operations.

He joined Howden in 2012 following the acquisition of Windsor Limited, bringing 30 years’ industry experience to the business.

Prior to joining Howden, John had been at the Windsor group since 2002, serving first as managing director of Windsor Insurance Brokers Limited and playing a key role in Windsor plc’s management buy-out and delisting in 2007.  He subsequently became CEO of the Windsor Limited group, which included Windsor Partners Limited, the leading Lloyd's broker.

Before joining Windsor, he was the director in charge of the London market broking division at the SBJ Group.

Danny Sever - Executive Chairman, Howden Insurance Brokers, Israel

Danny is the Executive Chairman of Howden’s business in Israel, which he founded in 2003 and formed the Group’s first local executive liability specialist.

He has over 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry, beginning his career in the Lloyd’s of London market as a broker, and subsequently joining Israel’s Davidoff Group as a Partner.

The business has since become the leading D&O and Professional Liability retail broker in Israel, and one of the largest non-life brokers in Israel in its own right.

Danny holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Tel Aviv University, and is well recognised in Israel as one of the leading experts in D&O and Professional Liability Insurance.

 
Praveen Vashishta - CEO and Managing Director, Howden Insurance Brokers India Private Limited

Praveen is the CEO and Managing Director of Howden’s business in India, and is also responsible for supervising our operations in Dubai.

He brings nearly 30 years’ experience in the industry to Howden.  Before joining the Group he worked for Zurich Financial Services for six years, where he held various positions including that of Managing Director of Zurich Risk Management Services, Chief Representative for India, and member of Zurich’s Corporate Customer Practice Board for Asia-Pacific.  He also served on the Board of several Zurich companies including the Zurich India Mutual Fund.

He began his career in 1983 as a management trainee with Oriental Insurance Company in India.  He holds an MA from the University of Delhi, and is an alumnus of the Wharton Business School, USA.  He is co-Chair of the General Insurance Committee of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also serves on the Insurance and Pensions Committee of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.

 
Eric Fady - Group Finance Director, Hyperion Insurance Group

Eric joined Howden’s parent company, Hyperion, as Group Finance Director in June 2008.

His last role was as Finance Director for Marsh Europe Middle East and Africa from 2003 to 2007, where he managed major projects to help the company adjust to the post Spitzer business world.   Previously he was CFO and Vice President for Strategy Implementation for Dun & Bradstreet Europe & Middle East from 1999 to 2002 where he contributed to the design of the company’s new business model and significantly improved their performance.

Eric graduated from Rheims Business School, and began his career as an auditor with KPMG in France.