Howden Appoints Enrico Nanni as CEO of Europe to Drive Next Phase of EMEA Expansion

Howden has appointed Enrico Nanni as CEO of its European operations, effective January 2027, as the global broker restructures its leadership to manage a rapidly expanding regional footprint. For insurance professionals, this move signals a shift toward localized management of a business that now controls $8.5 billion in Gross Written Premium across 30 European markets.

What was announced

Enrico Nanni will assume the role of CEO, Europe, on January 1, 2027. He currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer and will maintain those responsibilities alongside his new leadership position. Nanni is tasked with working alongside Howden’s various country-level CEOs to drive organic growth and improve regional collaboration. He will report directly to Luigi Sturani, who remains CEO of the broader EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region.

The transition comes after a period of aggressive scaling for the group. Over the last five years, Howden’s European presence has grown from 11 countries to 30. This expansion has seen the workforce increase from 1,000 to more than 6,000 employees, managing a total of $8.5 billion in GWP. Sturani will continue to lead the EMEA region, maintaining oversight of Europe while shifting his primary focus toward advancing growth opportunities across the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Central Asia. This new structure is designed to keep leadership close to local markets, clients, and colleagues while the group continues to scale its operations across the wider EMEA territory.

"I have worked alongside Enrico since 1997 and know first-hand his ability to build businesses, develop talent and create lasting relationships with clients and partners. Throughout our time working together, he has brought the same energy, ambition and commercial focus to every role."

Luigi Sturani, CEO, Howden EMEA

The companies involved

Howden is a global insurance intermediary group that operates across a vast network of retail, specialty, and reinsurance brokerage services. Headquartered in London, the firm has positioned itself as a major independent alternative to the largest global brokers. The company operates under the Howden Group Holdings umbrella, which provides a range of services including underwriting through its MGA arm and capital markets advisory via Howden Re.

The group’s strategy has historically focused on a combination of high-intensity organic growth and strategic acquisitions to build local depth in key markets. By maintaining an employee-owned model, Howden aims to differentiate its culture from its publicly traded competitors, emphasizing long-term stability and entrepreneurial autonomy for its regional leaders. This approach has allowed the firm to rapidly scale its European operations, moving from a secondary player to a dominant force in the regional brokerage landscape, managing significant volumes of GWP and complex risk portfolios for international clients across 30 different jurisdictions.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely tracked Howden’s strategic expansion and its evolving leadership team. Recently, we reported on the appointment of Elliot Richardson as Group Chief Commercial Officer, a move aimed at driving the firm's global strategy. The group has also been active in product innovation and market research, such as its study revealing that 70% of DB pension trustees view third-party vulnerability as a top cyber risk.

Furthermore, Howden continues to expand its specialized offerings, including the launch of a US Sports & Entertainment practice. On the technology and capital front, Howden Re recently introduced Novark, a platform designed to modernize institutional access to insurance risk through capital markets infrastructure.

What this means from an insurtech perspective

This leadership transition highlights the growing complexity of managing a multi-national brokerage in a hardening market. As Howden scales to 30 countries, the pressure shifts toward integrating disparate legacy systems and harmonizing data across borders to maintain underwriting discipline and client service standards. For the insurtech sector, this creates a significant opportunity for vendors specializing in cross-border compliance and unified brokerage platforms. The challenge for Howden will be maintaining its "local first" culture while implementing the centralized digital infrastructure required to manage $8.5 billion in GWP efficiently. Incumbent vendors may face pressure to provide more flexible, API-driven solutions that can bridge these diverse European markets without stifling local entrepreneurialism.