Howden to take over UK insurer Barnett Waddingham
The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The deal is expected to enhance Howden's pension and related advice capabilities.
Howden said the deal will boost its global presence, doubling the size of its Employee Benefits business with 4,000 new experts.
The combined workforce will deliver an estimated £500m ($644.86m) in global revenue, the company added.
With this acquisition, Howden and Barnett Waddingham will collectively provide a full spectrum of employee benefits and pensions advisory services.
These services will be available to a client base including multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, and entities within the private and public sectors.
Additionally, individual clients will have access to health, life and specialised pension products.
Howden CEO David Howden said: 'In our journey to build a global broker we recognise the need to create a world-class employee benefits business for our clients.
'Under Glenn Thomas' leadership since 2018, our Employee Benefits division has delivered a remarkable 52% compound annual growth rate. Expanding our pensions advisory and administration capability is crucial to our long-term, global growth plans, and Barnett Waddingham provides a fantastic platform to build our capability for clients around the world.
'Critically, Barnett Waddingham's working partners will reinvest significantly into Howden, underlining their commitment to a long-term future with us, and delivering extraordinary alignment for our future ambitions,' he added.
Howden UK health & employee benefits CEO and global practice leader Glenn Thomas added: 'Barnett Waddingham's extensive pensions expertise, together with Howden's market leading presence in the health and employee benefits market, creates a full-service proposition and one of the largest pensions and employee benefits consultancies in the UK, with one of the most extensive global footprints in the market.'
Barnett Waddingham senior partner Andrew Vaughan stated: "We are really excited to join Howden because of its commitment to the UK market, and its unique culture. Being part of Howden also strengthens our ability to deliver even greater value to our risk, pensions, investment and insurance clients through enhanced solutions, including our tech-enabled capabilities, and access to global expertise.
"As we reflect on 35 years of continuous growth and development at Barnett Waddingham, we are proud of the heritage and principles that have made us who we are – people-centricity, partnering with clients and the delivery of high-quality services.'
Last month, Howden purchased Forbes Insurance and the business portfolio from Hill Aviation Insurance Services.
Both entities have been rebranded as Howden, leading to the creation of a specialist aviation division within Howden UK & Ireland.
"Howden to take over UK insurer Barnett Waddingham " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand.
The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WPP plc (WPP): A Bull Case Theory
We came across a bullish thesis on WPP plc on Waterboy's Substack by Waterboy. In this article, we will summarize the bulls' thesis on WPP. WPP plc's share was trading at $27.60 as of July 29th. WPP's trailing and forward P/E were 8.32 and 5.51 respectively according to Yahoo Finance. A media buying executive looking out a window at a brand advertiser's billboard. WPP plc (WPP), once a dominant force in global advertising, has fallen from its blue-chip pedestal, now trading near decade-lows at $29.27, a far cry from its historical highs above $120. Founded through Martin Sorrell's 1985 acquisition and gradual empire-building, WPP became a sprawling advertising conglomerate with over 108,000 employees and $18.4 billion in annual revenue. Yet that topline figure has stagnated for years, and the company now faces structural headwinds, including AI disruption and a recent string of setbacks—most notably, dismal forward guidance and a CEO transition. These challenges have fueled a sharp market re-rating, cutting its market cap to $6.28 billion and leaving investor sentiment in tatters. However, the market's dismissal may overlook WPP's enduring fundamentals. The company continues to generate robust free cash flow—projected at $1.35 billion for 2025—implying a 21.5% free cash flow yield on equity and 11.6% on enterprise value, despite $4.0 billion in net debt. WPP's long-standing dividend discipline remains intact, with uninterrupted payouts since the 1990s averaging $2.19 over the past four years, translating to a 7.48% yield at current prices. While growth appears moribund and uncertainty clouds the path forward, especially with digital and AI transformation reshaping the advertising landscape, WPP still offers meaningful cash returns and operational scale. If new leadership stabilizes the business or if sentiment shifts back toward value and income-generating assets, the current valuation may prove overly pessimistic. For contrarian investors, WPP might offer a compelling, if bruised, opportunity hiding beneath layers of market fatigue and disruption fears. Previously, we covered a on Townsquare Media, Inc. (TSQ) by Investing 501 in April 2025, which highlighted the company's digital transition, stable radio cash flows, and strong capital allocation. The company's stock price has depreciated by approximately 10.4% since our coverage. This is because the thesis hasn't yet played out. Waterboy shares a similar view but emphasizes WPP's undervalued cash flow and dividend appeal. WPP plc is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 9 hedge fund portfolios held WPP at the end of the first quarter which was 5 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of WPP as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Eater
24 minutes ago
- Eater
Aya Pastry Set to Close, Two Years After Its Namesake's Exit
is the James Beard Award-winning regional editor for Eater's Midwest region, and in charge of coverage in Chicago, Detroit, and the Twin Cities. He's a native Chicagoan and has been with Eater since 2014. If your local coffee shop's pastry case looks a little barren this week, there's a reason. Aya Pastry announced its closure. The news, shared by ownership on Saturday, August 2, caught dozens of Chicago coffee shops and grocery stores that regularly depended on pastry deliveries off guard. The West Town bakery will wind down operations this week or early next week, selling the remainder of its cakes and pastries until customers deplete its inventory. The bakery wrapped up its wholesale operations over the weekend, says operating partner Adam Brave. Aya opened in 2017 along Grand Avenue. This marks the end of a turbulent chapter that began with former parent, Etta Collective, operated by longtime Chicago restaurateur David Pisor. Etta began filing a series of five bankruptcies in January 2024. Etta's downfall spanned restaurants in Chicago, California, and Arizona. Pisor was involved in a ritzy steakhouse in River North and a future Etta in suburban Evanston, both of which were cancelled after the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings. Brave has been in Chicago for the last five months trying to stabilize Aya's business. He says Aya's current operator, RDM Hospitality, made a few offers to purchase the property from Pisor at 1332 W. Grand Avenue, but the courts have rejected those proposals. Brave says they decided to close after failing to reach an agreement over the property. Pisor, who worked with Charlie Trotter, co-founded iconic Gold Coast steakhouse Maple & Ash, and worked on a bevy of big Chicago projects, has kept a low profile during the bankruptcy process. Brave predicts Aya Pastry will land in the hands of the banks and notes that there's a $1.4 million lien on the property due to foreclosure. Aya Fukai, the bakery's namesake who created most of the venue's recipes, hasn't been involved in operations since October 2023. She walked away after a publicized split between her former business partners, a battle that left Pisor in control of the bakery. Reached by Eater on Monday, August 4, Fukai reflected on her time since leaving the business: 'I had so many difficult days, but when I turned around, my team was always there to support me.' She continues, 'The people who worked alongside me were incredible — I don't think I could have ever done it without them.' In April 2024, the chief executive officer of Texas-based tech company InKind, Johann Moonesinghe, bought the assets of Etta Collective in an auction, and that purchase included Aya Pastry. That transaction was independent from InKind, a company rep clarifies: 'InKind never owned or operated Aya Pastry.' Moonesinghe relinquished control of the bakery in April 2025 to RDM Hospitality (RDM also bought Etta's Scottsdale, Arizona, location). Brave, who says he'll return to Virginia after the bakery closes, ran the business on behalf of RDM. Brave says he hoped to right the ship and turn over operations to his daughter. The bakery employed 16, down from 26 when Brave started, he adds. 'They were losing money when I came on — I managed to save them from losing [more],' Brave says. 'It was just making enough to pay the payroll.' Fukai says she hasn't had contact with InKind or RDM. She says she wasn't surprised by the news of the closure as she noticed fewer stores were carrying Aya's baked goods, and she has been doing a lot of reminiscing, missing how she connected with customers. She's been in limbo awaiting the courts to resolve the bankruptcy; she's owed about $300,000. Fukai says she doesn't expect to see any of that money. At the same time, she's left in limbo thanks to non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreements, but is unsure if those restrictions remain in place after the bakery's sales and pending shutter. Fukai says the agreements prevent her from opening or consulting on a bakery within 20 miles of Aya Pastry. The agreement lasts five years, and in October, it will mark two years since her departure — three years remain on the non-compete. Her recipes continue to power the bakery, with hits like a doughnut inspired by Samoas, the classic Girl Scout cookie (Stan's Donuts recently unveiled its own version, which looks a lot like Fukai's creation). While the NDA prevents her from working or consulting with a bakery, she has been consulting with restaurants on plated desserts. Fukai has also kept busy working with her friends at Jeong, the fine dining Korean restaurant in West Town. She says she's happy. 'No matter how hard it was, every day that I went to work, I was laughing,' she says. 'To see it go through multiple ownership changes and now, to it shutting down, feels bittersweet. It brings me some mental and emotional closure, but I'm definitely nostalgic.'


Axios
24 minutes ago
- Axios
Richmond inches closer to Mayo Island park debut
Mayo Island's future as a public park just took a big step forward. Why it matters: Making the 15-acre island part of the James River Park System available for locals to use has been a goal for the city and park enthusiasts for decades. State of play: Last week, City Council approved a conservation and open-space easement for the island — a procedural step necessary for the city to access grant funding for the project, per the ordinance. Until last year, Mayo Island had been privately owned and primarily used as a parking lot since the 1980s. The family that owned it had attempted to sell it on and off for at least a decade, marketing it as a redevelopment opportunity. Then, in 2022, Richmond-based conservation group, Capital Region Land Conservancy, bought it for public use. In the spring, the city's design committee unanimously approved conceptual designs for the space, The Richmonder reported. Zoom in: Those plans call for walking trails, kayak and paddleboard launches, dedicated fishing spots, picnic tables and benches, and a parking lot. Plus, the designs for the flood-prone, asphalted island are heavy on restoring green space through native grasses and plants, pollinator-friendly wildflowers and a meadow. The intrigue: A small section of Mayo Island has been separately and privately owned since the 1970s, BizSense reports.