Full-Time
HR Business Partner
Posted on 12/6/2025
Howden
1,001-5,000 employees
Global insurance intermediary and broker network
No salary listed
London, UK
Hybrid
Hybrid working options may apply; not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations.
 People & HR (1) |
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- Exposure to and experience in international matrixed organisations and demonstrable track record as a HR Business Partner within similar fast paced, dynamic sectors where challenges are dealt with quickly and efficiently
- Strong understanding of UK employment law and HR best practices
- Ability to build strong relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels
- Proactive, solutions-focused mindset with a passion for continuous improvement
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- CIPD qualification (Level 5 or working towards Level 7) or equivalent experience
- Act as a trusted advisor to managers, providing guidance on HR policies, processes, and best practices.
- Support organisational change initiatives, including restructures and workforce planning.
- Assist in the implementation of HR strategies that enhance business performance and employee experience.
- A hands-on HR Business Partner. In this role, you will work on both strategic and operational HR matters developing effective relationships with key stakeholders.
- Support the business to manage complex employee relations matters, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies.
- Support employee engagement initiatives, helping to create a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
- Collaborate with leaders to address feedback from employee surveys and drive continuous improvement.
- Support the Talent team across the talent management and succession planning processes, working closely with managers to identify and develop future leaders of the Howden Group.
- Coordinate learning and development initiatives, ensuring employees have access to the right training and career growth opportunities.
- Work alongside the Group Talent Acquisition team on external hiring and internal mobility
- Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across group functions.
- Work with the centres of expertise to ensure HR policies and procedures remain up to date and are adopted by the assigned business unit.
- Working with the Reward COE to manage the annual performance and reward cycle for assigned business units, including salary reviews and bonuses.
- Analyse HR data and trends, providing insights and recommendations to support decision-making.
Howden operates as a global insurance intermediary that distributes insurance products and services through retail and specialty broking, reinsurance broking, and underwriting. It uses a tech-enabled B2B distribution model to connect clients with insurers and provide tailored risk management and insurance solutions, while growing through acquisitions such as Barnett Waddingham and ARM Group to broaden capabilities like captive management. Its approach combines a broad mix of channels with strategic acquisitions to expand into new markets, including Asia and Japan, differentiating itself from peers. The aim is to extend global reach, deepen service offerings, and become a comprehensive end-to-end insurance distributor for corporate and multinational clients.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$4.1B
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Founded
1882
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Howden Re expands 3x faster than top-tier rivals via global integrated reinsurance approach.
- Acquisitions like Barnett Waddingham and Hymans Robertson form Howden IAL with 90 actuarial specialists.
- US cyber practice and trucking launch target booming cyber and logistics risk markets.
What critics are saying
- Aon erodes Howden's US specialty foothold via $13B NFP acquisition crushing pricing.
- Marsh's AI underwriting captures 25% more cyber placements than Howden's Cybeta tech.
- EU Solvency II 2027 backstops cripple Howden reinsurance as carriers cut specialty capacity.
What makes Howden unique
- Howden operates as world's largest employee-owned insurance intermediary across full value chain.
- DUAL delivers underwriting via 1,800 experts in 21 countries across 70 product lines.
- Tech-enabled broking integrates Cybeta IP for real-time cyber threat intelligence alerts.
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Benefits
Flexible Work Hours
Hybrid Work Options
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Company Match
Company News
Howden expands its presence on the West Coast with the acquisition of Galway‑based Maven Financial Planning, establishing a new Life and Pensions advisory offering in the region.
Managing risk and reputation in britain's potato industry. Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest. Potato growing has always been a game of odds - but as weather patterns grow more volatile and markets more uncertain, managing risk is becoming an essential part of the business. At a recent GB Potatoes webinar, Cutting the Odds: Managing Risk in Potato Production, industry representatives explored innovative ways to protect growers across the supply chain. GB Potatoes chair Alex Godfrey, joined by Blair Richardson, CEO and President of Potatoes USA, and Rory Gibson, Scottish regional director at insurance specialists Howden, led the discussion. Together, they outlined the evolving risks facing growers and the strategies from insurance to communications being used to secure the crop's future. Weatherproofing potato production Potatoes are among the most weather-sensitive of crops, and as Rory Gibson explained, unpredictable conditions are becoming an ever-greater threat. Howden has now introduced a new parametric protection policy for GB Potatoes members - an insurance model designed to react to measurable weather events rather than traditional perils like fire or theft. "Increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather patterns are making traditional insurance harder to obtain," Gibson said. "With reduced subsidies and uncertain crop returns, growers need new ways to safeguard their income." Unlike standard insurance, which relies on loss assessments, parametric cover triggers payouts automatically once predefined weather thresholds are met - such as 20 millimetres of rain within a set period. Payments can be made in as little as 24 hours, or within two months at most. Coverage typically focuses on heavy rainfall during harvest rather than drought, measured via satellite data and local weather stations. The scheme runs between 15 August and 15 November, offering three event types: short, intense rainfall (three-day events), medium-term rainfall (ten-day events), and cumulative rainfall over the full harvest period. On average, growers are insuring around £5,000 per hectare - worth roughly £259/ha in premiums, or just over £5 per tonne. While UK growers grapple with production risk, their US counterparts have long faced another challenge: battling misperceptions about potatoes themselves. Blair Richardson of Potatoes USA shared how a sustained investment in research has reshaped the crop's reputation. "Fifteen years ago, very little credible research existed on potato nutrition," Richardson said. "Stereotypes like 'couch potato' dominated media narratives." Since 2010, Potatoes USA has invested between $2-2.5 million annually in nutrition science, totalling over $30 million to date. This evidence base allows them to respond swiftly when inaccurate claims spread online - particularly on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where misleading nutrition content remains widespread. "Our health-focused messaging, including the line 'potatoes are real food, real performance,' has gained real traction globally," Richardson said. "It reflects the power of proactive investment in science and communication." GB Potatoes has already begun working with Potatoes USA to adapt and share nutritional messaging for UK audiences, supporting a stronger, evidence-based narrative about potatoes as a nutritious, sustainable, and versatile food source. A collaborative approach to risk management For GB Potatoes, managing risk extends beyond the farm gate. Chair Alex Godfrey highlighted the organisation's five core aims: * Building collaboration across the supply chain * Horizon scanning for emerging challenges * Lobbying on policy and research priorities * Promoting the UK potato industry through media engagement * Connecting members with cutting-edge technical expertise Ongoing collaborations with groups such as the Horticultural Crop Protection Forum and the National Potato Innovation Centre are helping align research and lobbying efforts. A joint London summit this summer will showcase the crop's economic and environmental significance to policymakers. Residual AHDB funding of £1.8 million is enabling the continuation of vital programmes like Fight Against Blight, aphid monitoring, and CIPC residue studies - though these initiatives will soon need self-financing. Another key success, said Godfrey, is the CiC-START PhD programme, a collaboration with the Scotch Whisky Research Institute that has secured funding for 24 potato-focused PhD positions. GB Potatoes is also investing in the industry's future workforce through its Potato Industry Development Programme, which connects new entrants with leading industry partners including Haith, McCain, Branston and AKP, with upcoming visits planned to Scotland and London. To find out more about GB Potatoes and membership opportunities, visit www.gb-potatoes.co.uk.
Howden insures the success of the Cyprus Shipping Rally 2026. Howden is proud to sponsor the Cyprus Shipping Rally 2026, reinforcing its longstanding commitment to the maritime and shipping sector. As one of the world's leading specialist insurance brokers, Howden provides tailored insurance and risk management solutions to businesses across 50+ countries, with over 23,000 employees and $50 billion in premium under management. Its expert marine teams understand the unique risks and complexities of the shipping industry, delivering bespoke coverage and advisory services to shipowners, operators and maritime businesses worldwide. The Cyprus Shipping Rally brings together the island's dynamic maritime community, and Howden is honoured to play a role in making it happen. When it comes to navigating risk - on the road or at sea - Howden is there.
Howden buys Hymans Robertson's insurance and financial services consulting team. Howden will acquire the insurance and financial services consulting team from Hymans Robertson for an undisclosed sum. This transaction will see Howden launch its own insurance, actuarial and longevity business, known as Howden IAL. This will be run by this specialist team of 30 from Hymans Robertson, alongside actuarial and longevity experts from Barnett Waddingham, which Howden acquired last year. In total the new division will have around 90 specialist consultants, increasing Howden's capacity to support insurers across the full spectrum of actuarial and longevity needs. Hymans Robertson confirmed that this transaction will have no impact on its pensions business, including its risk transfer, DC consulting, actuarial and TPA divisions, or its wider retail wealth businesses including its Club Vita division. Howden has been expanding significantly in recent years. As well as the BW acquisition in 2025, it also bought the employee benefits consultancy division of Evelyn Partners at the end of last year. Howden says this new unit combines will offer insurers support on pricing, capital allocation, reserving, risk and investment strategy, model validation, ALM and the management of longevity risk. It adds that the team's experience will enable insurers to navigate increasingly complex regulatory, capital and market environments with more confidence and stronger specialist support. It adds that the formation of Howden IAL expands the range of markets and clients served across its global platform. It says this supports the group's ambition to build a market-leading insurance advisory capability with international reach. Howden CEO and global practice leader, health & employee benefits Glenn Thomas says: "By bringing together BW's longstanding insurance actuarial capability with the Hymans Robertson IFS team's proven expertise in delivering strategically critical projects, Corporate Adviser is creating a best-in-class advisory proposition for clients. "This move is not just about capability; it is also about people. By uniting two high-quality teams, we are investing in their long-term development and strengthening our ability to support clients with deeper insight and a more distinctive proposition." Jon Hatchett, senior partner, Hymans Robertson adds:"Corporate Adviser is confident that the newly formed team's combined skills and Howden's global reach will deliver a broader service offering for insurance clients. "At Hymans Robertson, as an independent partnership, and Club Vita, we'll continue to focus on our long-term plans across the pensions, risk transfer, investment and retail wealth markets, where we see great opportunities for innovation with our clients." Scott Eason, managing partner, Howden Insurance Actuarial & Longevity says: "By uniting two outstanding teams, we are creating an advisory capability with the breadth and depth to support every critical client need across the insurance landscape."
Retail crime targeted during week of action in Bournemouth. 25th March A week of targeted activity aimed at tackling retail crime was held last week in Bournemouth town centre. The initiative was part of National Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) Awareness Week and was led by Bournemouth Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), with support from Dorset Police and BCP Council. The week of action focused on reducing retail crime and anti-social behaviour through business visits, events and engagement activities in the town centre. Held last week, the initiative brought together local businesses, Dorset Police, BCP Council, and Bournemouth Town Centre BID teams through a series of events, business visits, and engagement activities across the town centre. (Image: Bournemouth Town Centre BID) Jackie Arnold, business crime liaison officer for Bournemouth Town Centre BID, said: "We've had really positive engagement from businesses throughout the week. "Creating opportunities for people to speak directly with partners such as the council and police is incredibly valuable. "This kind of joined-up approach is key to helping businesses feel supported, improving reporting and ultimately creating a safer, more welcoming environment for everyone." The national campaign aims to raise awareness of the role that Business Crime Reduction Partnerships play in preventing crime, sharing intelligence, and improving business safety. During the week, the Bournemouth Town Centre BID team visited businesses to offer guidance, encourage the use of the SentrySIS incident reporting system, and reinforce partnership working. A series of events were held to give businesses the chance to raise concerns and discuss town centre challenges. One event, Coffee, Cake and a Councillor, took place at Flirt Café and allowed businesses to speak openly with BCP Council representatives about anti-social behaviour and other issues affecting the area. Another session, Coffee, Cake and a Copper, was held at House of Focaccia and provided a forum for businesses to engage directly with Dorset Police on retail crime, reporting, and police presence in the town centre. The programme also included a lunchtime learning session on cyber security for small and medium-sized businesses, delivered by Castra in partnership with Howden and hosted at Regus Bournemouth. Joint patrols were carried out during the week by the BID's Town Rangers and BCP Council's CSAS officers, focusing on identified hotspots and engaging directly with businesses. Attention was also drawn to the BID's exclusion notice scheme that allows businesses to act together against persistent anti-social behaviour offenders. Three exclusion notices have already been issued through the scheme. National BCRP Awareness Week reinforces the message that safer town centres rely on collaboration, consistent reporting, and shared standards.