Parrish to lead Howden’s US retail push as Hays joins group board

Howden has appointed Mike Parrish as CEO of Howden US and Jim Hays as vice chairman of Howden Group Holdings, as the broker gears up to expand its footprint in the world’s largest insurance market.

Parrish (pictured), a former senior executive at both Aon and Marsh, is expected to take up his latest broking leadership role in September.

He will be tasked with building a next-generation US retail brokerage, as Howden said it seeks to bring its employee-ownership model and entrepreneurial culture to the American market.

“Mike’s appointment is an incredibly important moment in our 30-year history of building a global group with an energetic and entrepreneurial culture, owned by the people who work in it,” said David Howden, CEO of the group.

“In Mike we’ve found one of insurance’s most outstanding leaders, with an owner’s mindset and an unrivalled track-record, who wants the freedom to build a business that is an alternative home for talent and clients in the US.”

Parrish previously spent nearly two decades at Aon, where he built a market-leading business, before moving to Marsh in 2021.

His appointment underscores Howden’s ambition to be seen as a credible alternative to the biggest players in the US retail space.

The broker has operated in the US for more than a decade through Howden Re and DUAL, one of the world’s largest managing general agents.

It also serves US-domiciled clients via its international wholesale operations and manages more than $18bn in US premiums. The country already accounts for over a quarter of group revenues.

At group level, the appointment of Jim Hays brings additional US expertise to the board.

Hays is the founder and former CEO of Hays Companies, which he grew into a major independent broker before its sale to Brown & Brown in 2018. He served as vice chair of Brown & Brown and sat on its board before joining Howden.

“I could not be more energized to join this incredibly exciting, deeply ambitious group with its army of entrepreneurs dedicated to serving clients,” said Hays.

“And of course, to work with David, who is in my view one of the most visionary leaders in business today. I was privileged to count Neil Armstrong as a personal friend, so the fact that the news of Howden’s further investment in the USA was first rumoured in the press on the 21st July — the day an American first walked on the Moon — was particularly apposite for me.”

Howden has grown since its founding in 1994 to count over 22,000 employees, including nearly 6,000 employee shareholders, across 56 countries.

It places $47bn in premium globally and spans retail, specialty, reinsurance broking, employee benefits, risk capital advisory, and programme underwriting.

David Howden said the appointments reflected a long-term strategy to combine local leadership with global capability.

“The foundation of our success has always been in finding the right leaders who are driven to build a business they can be proud of,” he said.

“In a consolidating market we’re answering a clear desire from clients, insurers, and talent for choice by being the destination for top talent. And I am especially proud that when others in the broking market are cutting costs, we are investing to create jobs in the US to provide better service to clients.

“Our doors are now open. We can’t wait to get started.”