One of the founding members of premium finance specialist Aascent, Simon Horswell, resigned from the company last week.

Horswell, who was director, sales and marketing, was part of the initial team of three which started the commercial lines finance specialist in 2002.

The other two founders, managing director Kevin O'Flanagan, and Ed Ferrell remain with the company.

O'Flanagan said: "He [Horswell] resigned last Friday for personal reasons."

Ferrell has now been appointed as the director, sales and operations.

He said of his promotion: "The strategic idea is to combine the role of broker relations with the role of customer service.

"This would guarantee that the promises we make in the field are implemented absolutely in the office - to promise service above the rest and deliver service above the rest."

Aascent is backed by Barclays Bank and offers premium finance services to various commercial lines brokers.

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.