International insurance broker Howden UK and Ireland has appointed Tim Hopgood to the newly created role of HR director to reflect and drive its growth strategy, as well as talent retention and attraction.
Hopgood has more than 20 years of experience in HR, and will report to Carl Shuker, chief executive officer of Howden UK and Ireland, and Diahann Williams, group HR director of Howden Group.
He previously worked for Lloyds Banking Group and Starbucks Coffee Co. Hopgood joined Howden from Danone, where he spent 12 years in a variety of roles, most recently as business services HR director.
Hopgood said: “I am thrilled to be joining Howden, a business that has a culture of employee ownership at its core. Its people first attitude enables Howden to truly engage and support its employees in all areas, something that especially attracted me to the role.
"It will be hugely rewarding to be part of a business that has such a fantastic growth trajectory, and I am very excited to join the HR team at this important time for the business.”
Shuker added: “Tim’s appointment comes at a critical time for us as we undertake the integration of our UK and Ireland businesses. To optimise success, we must ensure we have the best HR operating model, infrastructure and tools to support our staff through this exciting period of accelerated growth.
“Tim will provide the necessary level of leadership and influence to effectively guide us while we integrate and evolve our people development practices, policies and talent acquisition, while ensuring our exceptional client service remains in place.”
