Howden Group Holdings

What Howden Group Holdings does

Howden Group Holdings Limited is a private, employee-owned international insurance intermediary group founded in 1994 by David Howden CBE and headquartered at One Creechurch Place, London. The group operates across the full insurance value chain through three core sub-brands: Howden Insurance Brokers Limited for retail and specialty broking (including Howden Wholesale for D&O and hard-to-place risks), DUAL Group — one of the world's largest international Managing General Agents with more than 1,800 people in 21 countries and 11,000+ broker partners across 70 product lines — and Howden Re, one of the four top-tier global reinsurance brokers managing $17bn of gross written premium. The group also operates Howden Capital Markets & Advisory (including Insurance-Linked Securities, catastrophe bond trading, and Bowood & Howden Re Programs), Howden Climate Risk & Resilience, Howden Climate Parametrics, and Howden Employee Benefits, and is expanding digital infrastructure through xTrade Cargo, Howden CAP structured credit APIs, and the Howden One Network spanning 100+ territories.

The group serves millions of clients including private individuals, SMEs, mid-market firms, large corporates, and cedents, with deep specialism across Natural Resources, Property, Casualty, Financial Lines, Credit and Political Risk, Sport and Entertainment, Fine Art and Specie, Surety, Climate Transition Risk, and Real Estate. As of FY2024 (year ended 30 September 2024), Howden reported £3,010m of adjusted revenue (23% YoY growth, 15% organic), 24,000-25,000 employees across 55+ countries, $51bn of premiums managed, and 5,300 employee shareholders (approximately 30% of the equity base). Ownership combines majority employee ownership with three long-term, patient minority growth-equity partners: General Atlantic (since 2013), La Caisse/CDPQ (since 2018), and Hg (since March 2021). The Howden Foundation is a shareholder since 2020. Howden monetises through commission and fee-based brokerage on placed premiums, MGA underwriting margin, reinsurance brokerage, and capital markets advisory fees; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. In 2024, the group completed 65 strategic acquisitions, and in 2025 confirmed entry into the US retail insurance market with senior leadership additions including Mike Parrish (CEO Howden US) and Jim Hays (Vice Chairman).

Name

Howden Group Holdings

Legal name

Howden Group Holdings Limited

Website

https://howdengroupholdings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Howden Group Holdings is a private, employee-owned global insurance intermediary group headquartered in London, operating across retail, specialty, and reinsurance broking, MGA underwriting (DUAL), and capital markets advisory. It serves millions of clients across 55+ countries, managing $51bn of premiums and generating £3,010m in adjusted revenue for FY2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Core offering

Howden Group Holdings is an international insurance intermediary group providing retail, specialty, and wholesale insurance broking, global reinsurance, and managing general agent (MGA) underwriting services to individuals, SMEs, mid-market and large corporates, brokers, and capacity providers across 55+ countries. The group operates via core brands Howden Broking, Howden Specialty, Howden Re (reinsurance and capital markets advisory), and DUAL (underwriting across 70 product lines in 21 countries), supported by digital platforms (xTrade Cargo, Howden CAP), employee benefits advisory, and climate risk and resilience services.

Product overview

Howden Group Holdings operates as a platform-plus-modules global insurance intermediary group offering services across the full insurance value chain, with $51bn of premiums managed for clients across 55+ countries. The portfolio is anchored on three core sub-brands: Howden Insurance Brokers Limited (Retail) for direct insurance to private clients, SMEs, and global corporations; Howden Specialty for deep specialism across multiple lines including Natural Resources, Property, Casualty, Financial Lines, Sport and Entertainment, and Climate Transition Risk; and Howden Wholesale for D&O and hard-to-place risks. The reinsurance arm Howden Re (managing $17bn GWP) includes Howden Capital Markets & Advisory for ILS trading and Bowood & Howden Re Programs. DUAL is the MGA/underwriting sub-brand operating across 21 countries with 70 product lines and 11,000+ broker partners. Specialist capabilities include Howden Employee Benefits, Howden Climate Risk & Resilience, and the Howden Climate Parametrics global practice. Digital platforms include xTrade Cargo (digital trading platform with 20 carrier participants), Howden CAP (structured credit APIs with AXA XL and Pernix), and the Howden One Network partner network in 100+ territories. Research frameworks include Cygenesis for cyber market analysis. Social impact arms include the Howden Foundation corporate charity and Humanity Insured, an incubated charity for climate insurance in vulnerable communities. The group also operates new US practices including Howden US Aviation Practice and Howden US Korea Practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DUAL: One of the world's largest international Managing General Agents (MGAs), founded in Spain in 1998, with more than 1,800 people in 21 countries creating solutions across 70 product lines. Operates as the underwriting arm of Howden.
• Howden Re
• TigerRisk Partners
• ActiveQuote
• Howden Capital Markets & Advisory

Products and services

• Howden Broking (Retail) Retail insurance broking and risk management services to individual private clients, SMEs, and global corporations, delivered across 100+ territories via the Howden One Network.
• Howden Specialty Specialty insurance broking across 14+ specialty lines including Natural Resources, Property, Casualty, Financial Lines, Sport and Entertainment, Fine Art, M&A, Credit and Political Risk, Surety, and Climate Transition Risk.
• Howden Wholesale Wholesale insurance broking supporting broker partners with sophisticated product knowledge and sector expertise for hard-to-place risks, originating from Howden's 1994 D&O wholesale foundations.
• DUAL Group (MGA Underwriting) Managing General Agent (MGA) underwriting across 70 product lines in 21 countries, connecting capacity providers with 11,000+ broker partners; one of the world's largest international MGAs.
• Howden Re Global reinsurance broking and advisory including treaty, facultative, capital markets advisory, strategic advisory, MGA/programmes, legacy liability solutions, and advanced analytics; manages $17bn of GWP.
• Howden Capital Markets & Advisory Specialist capital markets team within Howden Re providing M&A advisory, capital raising, and Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) expertise including collateralised reinsurance, catastrophe bond trading, ILWs, and parametric products.
• Howden Employee Benefits Multinational employee benefits services including cross-border benefits coordination, statutory insurance governance, retirement, pensions, health insurance, and competitive benefits package design for AI and tech scale-ups.
• Howden Climate Risk & Resilience Specialist climate advisory team combining climate science, insurance, and financial markets expertise to help clients understand climate risks and deploy insurance solutions across the energy transition, climate adaptation, carbon markets, food systems, and biodiversity.
• Howden Climate Parametrics Global practice within Howden providing parametric insurance solutions to de-risk the low carbon transition and protect biodiversity.
• xTrade Cargo Industry-first digital trading platform for cargo insurance connecting Howden to 20 participant carriers, designed to transform traditional cargo insurance placement.
• Howden CAP Capital markets structured credit API platform developing digital products to better serve institutional clients, with API partnerships with AXA XL and Pernix.
• Howden US Aviation Practice US specialty insurance practice delivering aviation and aerospace insurance capabilities to clients nationwide as part of Howden's US market expansion.
• Howden US Korea Practice US practice serving Korean market clients operating in the US, led by Managing Director Brian Cho.
• Howden Crypto Theft Insurance (Web3 Expansion) Crypto theft insurance offering expanded into the Web3 Risk Ecosystem with integrated prevention and recovery capabilities.

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Aon plc: Aon is the world's largest insurance brokerage and risk management firm, operating across commercial insurance, reinsurance, and human capital solutions. Directly competes with Howden across retail, specialty, and reinsurance globally; Howden has hired multiple former Aon executives into senior roles.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies: Marsh & McLennan operates Marsh (insurance broking), Guy Carpenter (reinsurance), Mercer (health/wealth), and Oliver Wyman (consulting). Directly competes with Howden in insurance and reinsurance broking globally; Howden Re's growth directly challenges Guy Carpenter.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): WTW is a global insurance, reinsurance, and advisory broker. Directly comparable across insurance broking, reinsurance, and risk management. Howden's COO David Shalders previously served at WTW.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher is one of the largest global insurance brokerage and risk management firms, with strong US franchise and growing international presence. Closely comparable to Howden in mid-market commercial and specialty broking.
• Brown & Brown, Inc. Brown & Brown is a US-focused insurance brokerage with growing national footprint. Howden's US entry has triggered direct talent competition; Jim Hays, Howden Vice Chairman, previously served as Brown & Brown's Vice Chair.
• Lockton Companies: Lockton is the world's largest privately held insurance brokerage, with strong specialty and global capabilities. Closely comparable to Howden in operating model (private, employee-centric) and specialty focus.
• Hub International: Hub International is a North American-focused insurance brokerage providing commercial, personal, and employee benefits solutions. Comparable to Howden in mid-market broking and benefits services.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Alliant is a US-focused insurance brokerage serving middle-market clients across specialty lines. One of the firms that filed suit against Howden US over alleged employee poaching; directly comparable in specialty broking.

Emerging players

• Ryan Specialty: Ryan Specialty is a fast-growing US specialty insurance brokerage and underwriting manager. Comparable to Howden Specialty and DUAL in specialty lines and MGA operations; a newer entrant competing in similar niches.
• Acrisure: Acrisure is a tech-enabled insurance brokerage that has grown rapidly through acquisitions. Comparable to Howden in aggressive M&A-driven growth strategy and use of technology/data in distribution.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@howdeninsurance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howden-insurance
• Instagraminstagram.com/howdeninsurance

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A18 records

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Howden Group Holdings