He will succeed Carl Shuker (pictured on the left), who will transition to the role of Deputy Chairman within the same division.
Kennedy is currently CEO of Howden Ireland and joined the firm through its 2020 acquisition of Aston Lark. His prior experience includes leadership roles at Aviva, RSA, Aon, and Aston Lark. As CEO of Howden UK & Ireland, he will report directly to group CEO David Howden.
Shuker has led Howden UK & Ireland since 2021, following the acquisition of A-Plan, where he had served as CEO for over a decade. He has been in the insurance industry for 45 years.
In a press release, Howden CEO David Howden praised Kennedy for building a “leading, full-spectrum broker in the Irish market” over the last five years.
“With an incredibly exciting future ahead for our UK & Ireland business, I couldn’t be more pleased that we have extraordinary talent like Rob, an entrepreneur of our own, to lead it through the next phase of integration, growth and acceleration,” Howden said.
Kennedy said he was “deeply honoured” to lead the company’s UK & Ireland operations.
“This region holds a critical position in delivering Howden’s global strategic objectives, and I am excited to lead our exceptional teams through the next phase of growth,” said Kennedy. “My immediate priorities will be to strengthen collaboration across all our teams to bring the best of Howden to every client and to enhance our infrastructure, ensuring we continue to deliver outstanding service to our clients with greater speed and efficiency.”
Meanwhile, in his new role as Deputy Chairman, Shuker will continue to support the business and work closely with Kennedy during the leadership transition.
“When I first met Carl, his deep commitment to empowering great people to delight their clients and be major contributors to their communities was clear from the outset,” Howden commented.
“Since (Shuker) joined us, he has brought the UK&I businesses together to build a UK&I powerhouse, and his 45 years in the industry is one of the best examples of people-first, ambitious growth that you will find. The business will continue to benefit from his strategic counsel in his new role as Deputy Chairman.”
Shuker said: “After an amazingly enjoyable 45 years in the industry, starting at A-Plan as a fresh faced 19-year-old and eventually becoming CEO of Howden UK&I, I am delighted to pass the reins to Rob to lead us into the next chapter. The people in this business make it the special place that it is, and I am so incredibly proud of them. I’m looking forward to supporting Rob to deliver on our strengths as we do even more together.”
Howden operates in 55 countries and employs around 22,000 people globally. The group manages $45 billion in premiums on behalf of clients.
