Halpin talks up prospects post-Swinton

Peter Halpin is expected to return to the insurance industry sooner rather than later in one of the most eagerly anticipated comebacks in recent years.

Halpin made a big name for himself as chief executive of Swinton and seems to have bounced back following his sacking from the board by French parent company Covea in December 2011 in a dispute over performance-related share scheme payments.

There have been no shortage of takers interested in backing new ventures led by the former Swinton boss, who told Insurance Times that he had been in talks with a number of private equity firms keen to back acquisitions and start-up projects.

And it comes as no surprise to learn that Halpin may take former board members Anthony Clare and Nick Bowyer with him.

With a settlement having being reached between the board, it seems that Halpin has put the whole Swinton episode firmly behind him and moved on.

Moving on up

Swinton itself doesn’t appear to have suffered from the boardroom fall-out, and under new chief executive Christophe Bardet all the staff are pulling in the right direction.

Bardet anticipates a record year in 2011 – and 2012 is shaping up well, with January the broker’s best ever month. And when he has his new team in place in the next few weeks, Bardet can be expected to deliver even better results in the coming years.

He certainly has some big shoes to fill, but has a clear plan for improving and developing the business, focusing on the multi-channel distribution model.

Bardet has already steadied the Swinton ship in the wake of Halpin’s departure”

Bardet has already steadied the ship in the wake of Halpin’s departure and will now look to build on that as a starting point going forward.  

As for Halpin, don’t be surprised to see him turn up in the personal lines or retail space – his area of expertise – or even making a swoop with his ex-colleagues for Groupama’s Carole Nash broking business.