Brown & Brown names Hearn COO

Brown & Brown Inc. Monday named industry veteran Stephen P. Hearn executive vice president and chief operating officer.

London-based Mr. Hearn will join Brown & Brown’s operating committee and resign from the company’s board of directors, which he joined last year, the Daytona Beach, Florida-based brokerage said in a statement.

Mr. Hearn most recently held various roles at U.K.-based brokerage The Ardonagh Group, serving as CEO of Ardonagh Specialty Holdings Ltd.; CEO of Ardonagh Capital Solutions Holdings, which comprises its reinsurance broking, captives and MGA businesses; and CEO of Inver Re, its reinsurance broking unit.

Prior to that, he was CEO of Corant Global, a subsidiary of BGC Partners Inc. until the sale of BGC’s insurance brokerage division to The Ardonagh Group in 2021.

Mr. Hearn also formerly held CEO roles at Ed Broking Group Ltd. and Willis Group Holdings Ltd., including as CEO of Willis Re, chairman and CEO of Willis Global and CEO of Willis Ltd.

“As we work towards our next interim revenue goal of $8 billion, we believe the timing is right to have Steve join the organization to help drive operational excellence and scale, while we continue to further our position as a leading global provider of insurance solutions,” J. Powell Brown, Brown & Brown president and CEO, said in the statement.