Howden has announced the appointment of David Shalders as its new Group Chief Operating Officer. Shalders, with over 30 years of experience in the financial services sector, will be based in London and will join the Howden Group Board and Global Leadership Team.
He moves from his current role as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Integration at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). His career includes time at Willis Towers Watson as Group Operations and Technology Director, 19 years at The Royal Bank of Scotland, and roles at UBS, JPMorgan, and Accenture.
David Howden, CEO of Howden, said this was the first time Howden had appointed a Group Chief Operating Officer to the Board and that the move reflected the scale and ambition Howden has to be at the leading edge of the insurance industry.
“David will help us to deliver our ambitious growth plans without compromising the special culture that we have spent the last 30 years building,” Howden said. Adding, “Most importantly, David is a growth COO. He has spent his career delivering strategies across multinational operations, data, and analytics to support commercial growth.”
Shalders shared his optimism about joining Howden: “[Howden’s] growth story is phenomenal – a 30-year CAGR of 25% is extraordinary. But excitingly, it has an even more extraordinary opportunity ahead of it to accelerate.” He also complemented the company’s unique capital model, global distribution platform, and talent and expertise.
Shalders will take up the new role after completing his obligations at LSEG and joins as Howden celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Founded in 1994, Howden now operates in 50 countries, employs 16,000 staff, and manages US$35bn on behalf of its clients.
