Hood Group has announced several leadership changes, reshaping its senior team across core functions while continuing its focus on home, travel and pet insurance distribution.
Simon Hood (pictured) has stepped down as chief executive and will transition into a non-executive director role. His tenure saw the business evolve through multiple periods of change. The board has named Gary Duggan as interim executive chairman. Duggan brings significant experience across UK personal lines, including senior posts at Tesco Insurance, BGL's Junction and Saga Insurance. He will oversee operations while the company searches for its next chief executive.
Hood Group has also appointed Paul Pestell as chief financial officer. Pestell previously served as CFO at Tempcover, where he helped scale the business in the lead-up to its 2022 sale to RVU, the parent company of Confused.com.
Alongside these changes, Andy Home will step down from his role as non-executive chairman and continue as a non-executive director.
The leadership shift comes nearly a year after Hood Group completed a management buyout backed by private equity firm Connection Capital LLP. The investment provided new funding aimed at strengthening insurance distribution capabilities and enhancing service delivery for partners.
Duggan said Simon Hood leaves a business with strong values and a well-established reputation in the market, adding that Hood Group will continue advancing its proposition and widening support for partners as its strategy evolves. Meanwhile, Simon Hood noted that the business is well positioned for its next chapter and that, in his new board role, he will continue to support the leadership team.
The group said it remains focused on delivering high-quality insurance solutions for partners and customers, supported by continued investment in technology, data and service infrastructure.
