Global insurance and reinsurance broker, Howden, has officially announced the appointment of Kirk Southern as the Group Chief People Officer. In this role, Southern will report directly to David Shalders, the Group Chief Operating Officer.
Having successfully led the Group’s People Team for the past six months in an interim capacity, Southern will continue steering the team towards creating a robust Global People Function that underpins the company’s growth strategy. With over 15 years of extensive experience in senior People roles across Investment Banking, Fund Management, and Asset Management, Southern brings a wealth of expertise to Howden. Prior to his tenure at Howden, he served as the Group Head of Reward and HR Director for the Fund Management division at Arrow Global Group.
Commenting on Southern’s appointment, David Shalders stated, “Kirk’s elevation to the permanent role of Group Chief People Officer is a testament to his accomplishments, not only in the past six months but throughout his three years at Howden. As we aim to achieve our growth aspirations, Kirk and his team will be pivotal to our future success. In addition to Kirk’s appointment, we’ve recently strengthened our People Leadership Team with new hires, and I am eager to collaborate with them to continue making Howden an exceptional global enterprise.”
Expressing his enthusiasm for his new role, Southern remarked, “I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed permanently to this position. With offices spanning 55 countries, it’s our people who make this a fantastic place to work. Therefore, my priorities are clear: to develop a People function aligned with growth that centers on our colleagues. This includes enhancing our employee experience by improving systems, processes, and data, as well as attracting and retaining top talent. As a people-first business with 10,000 employees in the UK alone and more than 22,000 worldwide, with ambitions to expand to 40,000, this opportunity could not be more exciting.”
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