Compliance Officer

Howden celebrates the launch of its first Commercial office in Wrexham. One of the UK's largest insurance brokers, Howden, officially marked the opening of its first Commercial office in Wrexham, North Wales with a networking event and charity raffle fundraiser for Nightingale Hospice on Thursday 17 September 2026. The Commercial team brought clients, partners and members of the local business community together for an afternoon of food, drinks and conversation at The Fat Boar in Wrexham. The event also raised money for Wrexham-based charity, Nightingale House Hospice. The expansion of Howden's commercial presence in North Wales reflects growing demand from local businesses for specialist insurance, risk management and advisory support, delivered by experts with strong local knowledge and sector expertise. Gary Stevens, Wales Regional Managing Director - Commercial, Howden, commented: "I am very pleased to lead the opening of our first Commercial office in Wrexham. This office location in North Wales was the natural choice for our expansion, and we are confident that increasing our presence here will enable us to continue providing exceptional service to our clients. "We've already welcomed a number of highly skilled brokers to our Wrexham team, to continue building Howden's commercial specialist services in the region to position ourselves as the leading broker in and around Wrexham." Howden announced the appointments of Nathan Brookefield and Andrew Kells earlier this year, followed by the addition of Daryl Jones, Victoria Bonynge and Connor Hughes this month, marking an important milestone in the growth of the Wrexham Commercial team. Together, they bring significant experience across commercial insurance, risk management and client relationship management, further strengthening Howden's ability to support businesses across North Wales. Victoria joins from Brown & Brown with a focus on supporting manufacturing and food and beverage businesses across Wales, while Daryl joins from C&C Insurance Brokers and Connor from Brown & Brown. Their appointments reinforce Howden's ongoing investment in the region and its commitment to combining specialist expertise with local service.

Howden appoints Zern to head up US health & benefits division. Howden has appointed John Zern (pictured) as vice chair of health and benefits at Howden US, a move that the company said positions it to lead employers through the steepest sustained rise in healthcare costs in more than two decades. Zern will oversee Howden's health and benefits practice, growing its presence across the employer community and helping to shape the firm's US strategy. He joins as employers face mounting pressure from increasing pharmacy spend, complex medical claims and employees' expectations for more personalised benefits - all while needing to be underpinned by superior data- and AI-driven strategies. Zern brings more than 35 years of experience leading and growing significant employee benefits and property-casualty businesses, including at one of the industry's largest global brokers. He joins Howden from Ryan Specialty Benefits, where he served as president and chief executive. "John is among the most respected leaders in this industry, and his experience building and scaling benefits businesses will prove instrumental as we provide Health and Benefits offerings that set new standards," said Mike Parrish, chief executive of Howden Americas. "Attracting leaders of John's calibre is how we keep raising the bar for clients." As a member of Howden's senior US leadership team, Zern's appointment builds on the firm's global investment in the space, including recent acquisitions and senior hires that have significantly scaled its international Health and Benefits capability, positioning Howden as a leading firm of choice for employers seeking a more specialised, client-first partner in the US market. "Employers are under more pressure than ever to deliver benefits that work for their people while addressing the increased investment in healthcare spend. Howden's specialist-led, data-informed and technology-forward client service model is exactly what this moment needs. I'm excited to advance an already distinctive Health and Benefits business with an exceptional team that breaks from the industry's status quo by giving our clients the clarity and control they need, backed by the scale and expertise of a truly global platform," said Zern. Editor's picks. 11 September 2026 10 September 2026 2 September 2026 19 August 2026 18 August 2026 14 August 2026

FintechOS to double down on US growth with £21m boost. London-based agentic platform serving financial services secures combined equity and debt refinancing after reaching profitability FintechOS has raised £21 million in combined equity and debt financing from its current shareholder base. The London-based agentic platform serves banks, insurers and other financial services companies across the United States and Europe. The investors include Bek Ventures, IFC, Cipio Partners and Molten Ventures, alongside a senior debt facility from Santander CIB. The investment will be used to further set up the company's expansion base in the United States, deepen its European client portfolio, and scale the delivery practice behind its AI-native platform. The round follows a strong first half of 2026 for FintechOS, during which the company confirmed it had reached profitability while growing recurring revenue 40% year-on-year for the first half of 2026, driven in large part by 130% growth in the US market. Operational EBITDA had climbed to more than 102% year-on-year, as gross margin gains allowed the company to fund its next phase of growth without slowing down. The company expects to close a record number of new customers in 2026, with more than 20 new financial institutions worldwide adopting their AI-native platform, FintechOS 8. "Reaching profitability was not an accident, it was the outcome of a deliberate, multi-year effort to get our cost base, our margins and our delivery practice right before we pushed harder on growth again," said Cyril Desouza, CFO of FintechOS. "Now that discipline is paying off twice over: the business has reached profitability, and we've already made the shift back into high growth, which is exactly the combination that lets us take on a round like this one." The United States has been FintechOS's fastest-growing market for the past year, and the company is now moving to scale that momentum further. The firm says it is appointing a strong set of board directors in the US market, including a new chairman, to help drive the strategy for the next phase of the company's expansion and strategic partnerships across the region, building on the 130% year-on-year growth already achieved there. FintechOS's strategic partnership with Finxact - part of Fiserv, one of the largest core banking and payments providers in the US - builds on existing partnerships such as the one with Finastra Phoenix, another leading core banking provider, opening the door to a new pool of bank and credit union clients set to join a roster that already includes ESL Federal Credit Union, Vibrant Credit Union, Hanscom Federal Credit Union, Farmers Bank of Willards, MHG Insurance and others. The company is targeting more than 200% year-on-year growth in the US over the next 12 months. Teo Blidarus (pictured), founder and CEO, added: "Growth and profitability go hand in hand, not at the expense of one another. "Santander CIB's support, alongside other investors that trust us, is a strong vote of confidence in the path we're on, and it gives us the capital to go after the extraordinary potential we see ahead, particularly in the US, without compromising the discipline that got us to profitability in the first place." Alongside its US acceleration, FintechOS is consolidating its presence in European banking and insurance, partnering with new customers in the UK while also continuing strong partnerships with systemic organisations including BRD Groupe Société Générale, Admiral, CEC Bank, Howden, Bankinter and Groupama.