Howden, the global insurance group, has appointed David Shalders as group chief operating officer.

Mr Shalders will join as an executive member of the Howden group board as well as joining the global leadership team.

He joins from London Stock Exchange Group, where he was chief operating officer and head of integration.

David Howden, the chief executive of Howden, said: “As we celebrate our 30th anniversary as a business of global scale and reach, David will help us to deliver our ambitious growth plans without compromising the special culture that we have spent the last 30 years building.

“This is the first time we have appointed a group chief operating officer to the board and this important move is a reflection of our scale and the ambition we have to be at the leading edge of the insurance industry.

“Most importantly, David is a growth COO. He has spent his career delivering strategies across multinational operations, data, and analytics to support commercial growth.

“He will provide important leadership as we grow scalable, consistent, world-class operations while preserving the empowerment which makes us dynamic and innovative. This balance is critical and, in that regard, David will support me as we continue to harness our strengths as one Howden.”

Mr Shalders will be based in London and report to Mr Howden once his contractual obligations to his current employer have been discharged.