Howden Group

What Howden Group does

Howden Group is an employee-owned, London-headquartered insurance intermediary founded in 1994, operating as one of the world's top 10 insurance brokers with 24,000+ colleagues managing $51bn+ of premium across 122 countries. It serves corporate, SME, and high-net-worth clients through specialty industry practices spanning aviation, construction, education, financial institutions, marine, natural resources, private capital, real estate, sport and entertainment, and transportation and logistics, supported by reinsurance (Howden Re), risk advisory, health and benefits, capital markets and advisory (Howden CMA), and the Howden One Network of partner brokers.

The core platform is built around enterprise-grade commercial casualty insurance (general liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto, product liability, umbrella and excess, and specialty casualty programs) overlaid with vertical-specific solutions such as food and beverage, transportation and logistics, and private capital insurance. Underlying capabilities include transaction liability and risk advisory for sponsor-backed deals (via Howden CMA), insurance actuarial and longevity consulting (Howden IAL, combining Barnett Waddingham and Hymans Robertson IFS), and cyber analytics IP acquired from Cybeta in 2026 to support the US Cyber practice.

Howden generates revenue through insurance brokerage commissions earned on placed premium, with pricing quote-based and varying by client risk profile, industry, and policy terms, billed annually. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales via specialist brokers and direct sales teams, supplemented by the Howden One Network for multinational coverage and a hybrid organic plus M&A expansion model (recent lift-outs from Marsh, Aon, Willis Towers Watson, Brown & Brown, and Alliant in the US, plus acquisitions of PIBL, Polygon Insurance Brokers, Atlantic Group, Cybeta, and Hymans Robertson's IFS team). The company restructured its international operations effective 1 April 2026, merging Middle East and Africa with Europe into a unified EMEA region, while expanding its US footprint through the talent-led market entry.

Name

Howden Group

Legal name

Howden Group Holdings Limited

Website

https://howdengroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Howden Group is an employee-owned global insurance broker headquartered in London, managing $51bn+ in premium across 122 countries. It serves corporate and specialty clients with commercial insurance, reinsurance, risk advisory, and capital markets services through 24,000+ employees worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurtech-Enabled Brokerage (Digital Brokers & Aggregators) (FSAEADAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Data, Analytics & AI for Insurance (Risk, Pricing, Personalization) (FSAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Reinsurance broking services
• Risk management consulting
• Employee benefits advisory
• Specialty insurance solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance brokerage commissions: Howden generates revenue as an insurance broker placing policies with insurers on behalf of commercial and corporate clients. The firm earns commissions from insurers based on placed premium volume.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Howden Group is a global insurance intermediary that places commercial and specialty insurance policies on behalf of corporate clients and earns commissions from insurers. The firm delivers risk management, claims advocacy, reinsurance placement, employee benefits, and capital markets advisory across 122 countries, with deep vertical specialisation in aviation, construction, energy, food & beverage, marine, private capital, real estate, sport & entertainment, and transportation & logistics.

Product overview

Howden Group is a global insurance broker offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance and risk management products and services. The core offering includes commercial casualty insurance (general liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto, product liability, umbrella/excess, specialty casualty), industry-specific solutions (food & beverage, transportation & logistics, private capital, real estate, natural resources, sports & entertainment), and employee benefits & wellbeing services. Supporting services include Risk Advisory, Reinsurance (Howden Re), Capital Markets & Advisory, Insurance Actuarial & Longevity consulting, and Howden Care (claims management). The company operates through its global Howden One Network spanning 122 countries, combining local expertise with international reach as one of the world's top 10 insurance brokers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Howden Care: Health and wellbeing services including ACC non-work claims management, AEP claims management, health and wellbeing services in New Zealand.
• RealtyProtect
• Howden Re

Products and services

• Commercial Casualty Insurance Comprehensive casualty insurance solutions covering general liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto, product liability, umbrella and excess liability, and specialty casualty programs for complex or difficult-to-place risks.
• Food & Beverage Insurance Specialized insurance coverage for food and beverage companies protecting against product liability, business interruption, supply chain disruption, product recall, cyber risk, and regulatory exposure.
• Transportation & Logistics Insurance Insurance solutions for transportation and logistics companies covering casualty exposures, fleet risk, driver liability, and alternative risk broking for transportation and distribution networks.
• Private Capital Insurance Dedicated broking team specializing in M&A products including Assumption Agreements and Loss Portfolio Transfers for private capital and financial sponsors.
• Real Estate Insurance Insurance solutions for property owners, developers, and managers covering premises liability, tenant-related claims, contractor exposures, and portfolio-level risk.
• Natural Resources Insurance Liability solutions for energy businesses with complex assets, contractor relationships, and third-party exposures in the natural resources sector.
• Sports & Entertainment Insurance Complex global liability and protection insurance for workers engaged in sports and entertainment fields.
• Health & Benefits Employee benefits consulting, group healthcare benefits, group risk benefits, pensions and financial wellbeing, and people risk services.
• Risk Advisory Enterprise risk management, cyber risk and data privacy, motor risk, people risk, property risk, and risk portal services.
• Reinsurance (Howden Re) Global reinsurance brokerage services through Howden Re, operating as a top four global reinsurance broker.
• Capital, Advisory & Placement Capital markets and advisory services through Howden CMA, including transaction liability and risk advisory for sponsor-backed deal processes.
• Howden Insurance Actuarial & Longevity (Howden IAL) Actuarial support services combining Barnett Waddingham's outsourced actuarial services with Hymans Robertson's IFS specialists for insurance and longevity consulting.
• Howden Care (New Zealand) Claims management and health wellbeing services in New Zealand including ACC non-work claims management, AEP claims management, and health services.
• RealtyProtect Landlord insurance product offered in Australia for real estate property owners.
• US Trucking Practice Dedicated US trucking practice within the Specialty Transportation & Logistics vertical offering casualty risk advisory, insurance placement, claims advocacy, and risk support services to trucking and fleet operators nationwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Arranged £10 million in public liability insurance for England Golf members and iGolf subscribers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Cybeta, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026Howden acquired intellectual property assets of cyber data and analytics provider Cybeta, bringing threat intelligence and predictive analytics expertise into Howden's US Cyber practice to enhance client data conversion into real-time individualized risk profiles.
• Hymans RobertsoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Howden to acquire Hymans Robertson's Insurance and Financial Services Consulting team to launch Howden Insurance Actuarial and Longevity (Howden IAL), combining Barnett Waddingham's outsourced actuarial services with Hymans Robertson's IFS specialists.
• Barnett WaddinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Barnett Waddingham provides outsourced actuarial services as part of Howden's Insurance Actuarial & Longevity offering, with combined pension consulting revenue standing at around £276m.
• Polygon Insurance BrokersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Acquisition of Polygon Insurance Brokers which operates in Jersey and Guernsey, strengthening Howden's capabilities in financial services, private wealth, and corporate clients.
• Atlantic GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026Howden signed agreement to acquire Atlantic Group, complementing its Capital, Advisory and Placement unit and expanding private capital advisory capabilities.
• England GolfflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026Three-year partnership designating Howden as official insurance partner through 2028. Howden arranges £10 million in public liability insurance for all England Golf club members and iGolf subscribers, while introducing new coverage options for equipment theft and overseas travel.
• PIBLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026Howden agreed to acquire PIBL, a retail insurance broker based in the Channel Islands, as part of strategy to expand specialist presence in offshore financial centres.
• British & Irish LionsflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Howden is the largest team sponsor (Principal Partner) for the British & Irish Lions Tour. The 2025 tour to Australia achieved record attendance of 504,867 across 10 matches.
• Royal AscotcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Partner of Royal Ascot horse racing event, supporting one of the premier sporting events in the UK calendar.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marsh (Marsh McLennan): Marsh is the world's largest insurance broker and a unit of Marsh McLennan. It is a direct peer across commercial brokerage, reinsurance (Guy Carpenter), and risk advisory, and is one of the primary competitors Howden is recruiting against in its US expansion.
• Aon plc: Aon is a top-three global insurance and reinsurance broker with a deep commercial brokerage franchise. Howden has settled one poaching-related lawsuit with Aon and competes directly for corporate and specialty placements globally.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): WTW is a top global insurance broker with significant corporate and specialty practices. WTW filed a poaching lawsuit against Howden in 2025 and is one of the named competitors in Howden's US talent recruitment strategy.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher is a top-five global insurance brokerage and risk management firm with comparable specialty and retail operations. It is publicly traded and competes directly with Howden across commercial, specialty, and reinsurance placements.
• Brown & Brown, Inc. Brown & Brown is a large US insurance broker and Howden's most aggressive litigation counterpart. Brown & Brown alleges Howden poached ~300 employees in a single December 2025 operation, causing ~$23M in revenue loss — making it the most direct comparable in size, geography, and contested relationship.
• Lockton Companies: Lockton is the world's largest privately held insurance broker and shares Howden's employee-ownership-adjacent culture and specialty focus. Comparable in scale, ownership model, and specialty practice orientation, Lockton is Howden's closest pure-private peer.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Alliant is a large US-focused specialty insurance broker that filed a poaching lawsuit against Howden in 2025. It is directly comparable in US specialty positioning and was one of Howden's named talent sources.
• Hub International Limited: Hub International is a large North American insurance brokerage owned by Hellman & Friedman. It competes with Howden US in commercial and specialty lines and represents a comparable mid-market roll-up strategy story.

Emerging players

• Acrisure, LLC: Acrisure is a fast-growing US insurance broker built primarily through acquisition. While smaller than Marsh/Aon, it shares Howden's aggressive M&A roll-up playbook and competes for the same specialty and mid-market placements in the US.

Broad incumbents

• Truist Insurance Holdings (CRC Group): Truist Insurance Holdings is the insurance brokerage arm of Truist Financial, including CRC Group. It is a broad incumbent with specialty, wholesale, and retail capabilities and competes with Howden in US commercial and specialty placements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howden---specialist-insurance-broker
• Instagraminstagram.com/howdeninsurance

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Howden Group