Howden celebrates 30 years of employee ownership with 5,200 employees owning shares in the company after successful 2024 Internal Share Offer

London, 21 June 2024 – Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, announces today that 656 of its employees have chosen to invest for the very first time in the company through its 2024 Internal Share Offer (ISO) scheme.  This takes the total number of employee shareholders to approximately 5,200 across 48 countries out of the 55 in which Howden operates, representing approximately a third of the total number of employees, and is the largest shareholder group. 

Howden is the second largest employee-owned business by turnover and the fifth largest by headcount in the UK.  The success of this year’s ISO continues to underline the benefits of Howden’s unique capital model, which blends employee ownership with aligned, long-term external minority investors, and is what drives its ability to deliver sustained growth of 25% CAGR over the last three decades.

Purpose is as important as profit for Howden, with the Group’s Foundation, an independent grant-making charity, also a shareholder in the business.  Through this year’s ISO scheme, the Foundation received £1.8 million from the sale of shares, which it will use to further its charitable work around the world, protecting people against the social and economic effects of climate change.

David Howden, Chief Executive Officer, Howden, said: “Howden celebrates its 30th birthday this year. The secret of our success? Our employee-ownership model.  Together our people have helped deliver sustained growth and long-term security. So it’s no surprise to me that the Employee Ownership Association’s (EOA) recent research has shown companies like ours can be as much as 12 per cent more productive and 25 per cent more profitable. The fact is people with a real stake in the business are always willing to go that extra mile. And today more and more of our people are joining us on our journey. They’re passionate about what we do, they share our ambition and they know that this is a company that’s going places.”
 
Howden is sponsoring the EOA’s UK Employee Ownership Awards 2024, reflecting its commitment to the sector.  The awards celebrate the success of businesses and individuals that deliver people power, who drive effective employee ownership practices, and empowers employee owners to unlock the significant impacts that employee ownership brings.