Insurance brokerage Aston Lark has announced the appointments of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in Ireland following the acquisitions of Wright Insurance Brokers and Robertson Low.
Specifically, Robert Kennedy joins as CEO Ireland and Mark Nolan as CFO Ireland, effective March 2020, subject to regulatory approval.
Kennedy joins the firm from Aviva Ireland where he most recently served as Head of Sales and Distribution, leading the development of the company’s broker business over the last six years. Before Aviva, Kennedy held senior roles at both Aon and RSA.
Nolan joins Aston Lark from AA Ireland where he served as Financial Controller. He has previously worked for Deloitte, Quotedevil Ltd and Pembroke Insurance as Financial Controller, and has a strong background in audit with a specialist focus in insurance.
Both Kennedy and Nolan are set to join the boards of Robertson Low and Wright Insurance Brokers. In light of the changes, Robertson Low’s current Managing Director, Andy Low, will move into the role of Executive Chairman and the founders of Wright Insurance Brokers, Tony Wright and Breda Wright, will remain on the firm’s board.
Peter Blanc, Group CEO at Aston Lark, a UK Chartered insurance broker backed by Goldman Sachs, commented: “I look forward to welcoming Robert and Mark to the team to help drive our ambition for growth. They will both bring their extensive leadership experience to bear as we look to fulfil our potential in Ireland. This is an important stage in Aston Lark’s development plans to create the leading quality independent insurance broking business in Ireland.”
Kennedy added: “I am delighted to be joining Aston Lark to build on the fantastic work of Andy Low, Tony Wright and Breda Wright. I am in the enviable position of having a great team already in place and I look forward to working with the team to realise Aston Lark’s ambition for Ireland through a combination of organic growth and acquiring like-minded brokers.”
