Howden, a global insurance and reinsurance broking group, has appointed José Ignacio Lathrop as Executive Chair, Howden, Latin America (LatAm).
In his new role, Lathrop will use his deep market expertise to guide and support Howden’s business in LatAm, working closely with Sonia Caamaño, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), International Growth Markets, to drive growth across the region, empower talent to deliver solutions for clients, and maintain strong engagement with key markets in the region.
The appointment reflects Howden’s intention to accelerate regional growth, as demand for risk solutions surges. Lathrop will join Howden upon the completion of contractual obligations to his current employer.
It also follows a series of recent strategic acquisitions that have expanded Howden’s regional footprint in LatAm, including Contacto in 2023, and Innova Re in Peru and Ureta & Fernandez in Chile in 2025. The broker is also rapidly expanding its retail broking platform in the United States.
Lathrop has over three decades of experience in the Latin American insurance market. Most recently, he served at Marsh as the CEO of Marsh Chile, with additional responsibility for Argentina and Uruguay. Before this, Lathrop established and built JLT’s operation in Chile.
Caamaño commented on the appointment, “The Latin American insurance market is one of the fastest-growing in the world, with GWP increasing 11% annually from 2019 to 2024, outpacing many global regions. Over the past year, we’ve focused on our foundations — executing strategic acquisitions, strengthening our leadership and fully integrating our business.
“We are now set to take the region to the next level, and that’s why I am so delighted that José Ignacio is joining us as Executive Chair for Latin America. Not only does he have a proven track record in building businesses from the ground up and growing them across regions, he is also widely respected in local markets and by insurers. José is a long-standing friend and previous colleague that I have always admired in the industry. It is fantastic that we will be working together again to deliver our ambitious growth plans.”
David Howden, CEO, Howden, added, “The future for Howden Latin America is incredibly exciting. We’ve enormous aspirations to grow in the region and appointing someone of José Ignacio’s calibre as our Executive Chair is a huge statement of intent. Besides unparalleled experience of building businesses, José brings an in-depth retail and reinsurance knowledge that’s been developed over the course of a stellar career.
“Simply put, no-one has a better understanding of how to provide the best service to clients across all lines of business. It’s yet another example of an extraordinary entrepreneur joining us because they know they’ll have the freedom, the tools and the backing of a global broker to deliver a service like no other for their clients.”
