David Howden

David Howden (born 30 December 1963) is a British entrepreneur and philanthropist working in the insurance industry. He is founder and CEO of the Howden Group, an independent insurance group owned by its employee shareholders and backed by long-term investors.

Howden is also an enthusiast of horses and rural environments, he is an advocate of regenerative agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as various equestrian and musical initiatives.

Early life He is a descendant of Alexander Howden, an Edinburgh shipowner who founded the Howden insurance brokerage in the 19th century. The family sold the business in 1915. David Howden set up his own company –Howden Group– in 1994 with two friends.

He attended Dragon School in Oxford and later educated at Radley College.

Career In 1988, he struck out on his own and with Mark Pangborn and Mark Howells, created a subsidiary of one of his clients, Regis Low. Howden Group Holdings Limited was initially called Howden & Pangborn Holdings Limited and between 1999 and 2020 Hyperion Insurance Group Limited. The company thus began with three employees and Howden's dog Flight, which he brought into the business.

The company had revenues totalling more than £3 billion and 20,000 employees in 55 countries. These countries include Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the US and Latin America. It has 117 branches and over 200 centres in the UK. In order to expand its geographic presence and capabilities, the group has made more than 60 of strategic acquisitions and integrations of other companies.

Equestrian and rural promoter A proponent of equestrianism and rural living, Howden has been engaged in the initiative of reclaiming public spaces for the purposes of restoration, tournaments and local festivals. Concurrent with these endeavours, he has also been promoting regenerative agriculture and livestock. From Cornbury House, Oxfordshire, he runs a farm with Longhorn cattle, Middle White/Saddleback pigs and Hampshire Down Lamb using organic and regenerative farming criteria.

In 2011 he opened the Pointer Pub, which as of 2017 won several awards and recognitions from the Sunday Times, Michelin Guide, and The Good Pub Guide and finally was sold in 2018.

His passion for horses led him to re-establish in 2020 the Cornbury Horse Trials (in force between 1993 and 2000) and which in 2024 are a five-day international event. Also since 2017, when he settled at Cornbury House he started Thoroughbred horse breeding. His horse Running Lion won the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot.

In 2024 he also launched TAP, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Training Programme, which extends the active life of racehorses, allowing them to participate in other events. By 2024, TAP had opened some 360 centres in six locations in England, Wales and Scotland. Howden is also behind the annual four-day Wilderness festival in Oxfordshire.

Philanthropy Howden set up the independent corporate foundation of Howden, whose aim was to reduce the impacts of climate change, especially droughts and floods, and protect people against the social and economic effects of this adverse weather events. Since 2019, the foundation has donated more than £6.5m to charities in 38 countries.

Personal life Howden is married and has three daughters. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2025 Birthday Honours, for services to insurance industry.