The biggest people moves this week

This week, Ageas UK confirmed that Esure chief executive Peter Martin-Simon will leave the business in April, just months after being appointed following Ageas UK’s acquisition of the insurer.

Martin-Simon, who had been chief commercial officer at Esure, was named chief executive after David McMillan stepped down when the £1.3bn deal was completed in September. However, Ageas UK said he had decided “the time is right” to leave the business as the integration moves into its next phase.

• Recently appointed Esure chief executive decides to leave business

Meanwhile, Arch Insurance UK Regional Division made a series of senior promotions, appointing four new regional underwriting managers.

Steve Barlow, Andy Coates, Peter Howard and Paul Taylor were promoted from branch underwriting manager roles into newly created regional positions, covering the Midlands and south west, London and the Home Counties, north and Scotland, and south and Thames Valley respectively.

They report to regional managers Ian Grundy, Tony O’Reilly, Janine Starkie and Janice Mullan.

• Arch Insurance UK Regional Division appoints four new regional underwriting managers

Elsewhere, Clear Group confirmed that co-founder and executive chairman Howard Lickens will retire at the end of 2025, bringing an end to more than two decades with the broker.

Lickens founded the business in 2001 alongside Gary O’Donnell and served for many years as chief executive before moving into the executive chairman role, where he led the group’s mergers and acquisitions strategy and carrier relationships.

• Clear Group co-founder to retire at end of year

Meanwhile, Howden appointed Nick Stace OBE to the newly created role of chief global impact officer, with the executive set to join the broker in 2026.

Stace joins from Barclays Bank. In the new role, Stace will report to chief executive David Howden and succeed Rowan Douglas, who has decided to leave the business but will remain an adviser.

• Howden appoints new chief global impact officer

Finally, Beazley appointed its chief underwriting officer Paul Bantick as an executive director.

Bantick, who has been with Beazley for more than 20 years, will join the board in January 2026 while continuing in his current role overseeing the firm’s specialist underwriting portfolio.

• Beazley board appoints CUO as executive director