Howden Broking Group expands to Belgium in Europe push

Independent insurance broker Howden Broking Group has been granted its licence to operate in the Belgian market.

The company's new venture will be led by Herman Kerremans, previously chief development officer at JLT in Belgium, who joined Howden earlier this year.

Kerremans has over 30 years’ experience in corporate insurance and specialty business. He will be responsible for further strengthening the group’s presence across the Benelux region and in Europe.

“As Howden seizes the opportunity to further invest in this important region, I am delighted to lead this exciting new venture," said Kerremans, CEO of Howden Belgium. "Howden has a rare culture that embraces change and understands the true value of expertise and care when it comes to client service. As a group committed to employee ownership, it puts People First, not the shareholder; this is and always has been Howden's credo. If you take care of the employees, they will take care of the client. This is a core belief to us at Howden and has resulted in our track record of stellar growth.”

Kerremans says he has ambitious plans for the new Belgian start-up, “the Covid-19 crisis has ushered in a rise in rates and a hardening market that will impact insurance programmes for many companies. Furthermore, given Howden’s ambitious drive, which empowers people to offer innovative and thoughtful solutions, we are perfectly positioned to offer clients in the region access to wider group resources and a fresh alternative in a consolidating broker market.”

Louise Cable-Alexander, CEO Europe, Howden Broking Group said: “We are thrilled to welcome someone of Herman’s calibre to the Group. He is an outstanding specialist with renowned experience and deep industry and local market knowledge and along with his team, confirms our position as the natural home for entrepreneurial talent.

"Howden Belgium represents another significant investment in Europe as we continue to expand further and deeper into this important region. For clients, this exciting move demonstrates our quick anticipation of their need for choice and our commitment to delivering a specialty-led service on the ground.”