Barnett Waddingham (BW) has appointed Rob Byett (pictured) as chief risk officer, bolstering its commitment to enhanced risk management and compliance.
Byett brings over two decades of industry experience to the role, having held senior risk and compliance roles across the financial services sector, including group compliance director at Jelf Group, and several years at Deloitte, advising professional service sector clients.
His appointment is effective immediately and represents part of BW’s ongoing strategic growth as part of Howden.
BW was acquired by the global insurance and employee benefits intermediary group in April.
As chief risk officer, Byett will be based within BW, where he will lead BW’s governance team and oversee risk and compliance functions, as well as working across the global employee benefits practice of Howden Employee Benefits.
As well as sitting on BW’s Management Board, he will be appointed to Howden’s health and employee benefits board.
Byett said: “I’m thrilled to be taking on this role at such a pivotal moment in the integration between Barnett Waddingham and Howden Employee Benefits.
“The opportunity to bring together two strong risk and compliance cultures, tackle complex challenges and build a unified governance framework is incredibly exciting.
“I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across both firms to drive our shared ambitions forward.”
Andrew Vaughan, senior partner at Barnett Waddingham, added: “Rob’s appointment marks a significant milestone in our commitment to market-leading risk management and governance within BW and as part of Howden Employee Benefits.
“This new role is about strengthening how we work together, for the benefit of both our people and our clients.
“Rob’s experience in senior risk and compliance roles, combined with his deep understanding of the financial services sector, makes him ideally placed to lead our governance function during this next exciting chapter.”
Glenn Thomas, CEO, UK Health & Employee Benefits and Global Practice Leader, Howden, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Rob to this crucial role and look forward to working with him.
“He brings the depth of experience we need and is an excellent cultural fit for our people-first approach.
“Rob’s deep industry expertise will be invaluable as we navigate the next phase of growth across Howden EB and BW.”
