Dominic Collins (pictured) is stepping down as executive chairman of Howden after more than a decade at the top of a group that grew from a $400 million intermediary into one of the world's largest insurance brokers during his tenure.
Collins joined the board as executive chairman when Howden, then operating as Hyperion Insurance Group, completed its merger with specialty broker RK Harrison. He had spent more than 20 years at Jardine Lloyd Thompson before joining RKH as its chairman in 2007, giving him a career that now spans half a century in the industry. On the appointment of a successor, he will become president emeritus, remaining involved in an advisory capacity.
Howden now ranks eighth among the world's largest insurance brokers, with $4.84 billion in revenue in 2025, according to AM Best's 2026 global broker ranking, up two places from the previous year. The group now operates across more than 55 countries and employs over 23,000 people, roughly 6,000 of whom are employee-shareholders.
Collins' tenure coincided with a period of sustained restructuring across the global broking landscape, as the largest intermediaries pursued acquisitive growth strategies that have steadily concentrated market share at the top. Howden pursued a similar path, completing 67 acquisitions in fiscal year 2025 alone, while maintaining employee ownership as a structural differentiator. That ownership model, which gives thousands of professionals a direct financial stake in the group's performance, has been central to Howden's recruitment and retention pitch in a market where talent competition is intense.
The group has spent much of the past two years accelerating its US retail platform, launching it in August 2025 through an aggressive hiring campaign, and later completing the acquisition of transaction liability specialist Atlantic Global Risk in February 2026. That expansion was partly shaped by the collapse of a proposed $10 billion acquisition of Risk Strategies in March 2025. That deal ultimately went to Brown & Brown, which led Howden to build its US presence through a different route.
A replacement for Collins has not been named, and the group says a search process is underway. Until that appointment is made, Howden heads into the next phase of its growth without a confirmed chair, a gap that will draw attention given the scope of changes the group is navigating.
David Howden credited Collins with helping shape "countless decisions" at the group and called his departure from the executive role a transition rather than an exit, noting he would remain a valued adviser and ambassador.
