Brown and Brown appoints ex-Ardonagh and WTW boss as COO

Brown and Brown has appointed industry veteran Stephen Hearn as its new executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The move has resulted in Hearn resigning from the broker’s board of directors, which he joined in 2024, and joining the company’s operating committee.

As chief operating officer, Hearn will help inform and guide Brown and Brown’s continued growth strategy.

As part of this, he will help shape the company’s continued focus on scaling operations, fostering innovation and growing and developing its team.

“Brown and Brown is an incredible, dynamic organisation and I feel very fortunate that the skills and experience I have acquired during my career are viewed as force multipliers for the work already being done within the company,” Hearn said.

“Our shared focus and a commitment to relationships and people – customers, teammates, carrier partners, shareholders and those in our communities – make this opportunity all the more exciting.”

Experience

Hearn has more than 35 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Firms he has worked at include Ardonagh, with him most recently serving as chief executive at the broker’s reinsurance broking unit Inver Re.

He also served as chief executive of Ardonagh’s specialty arm and capital solutions division during his time with the firm.

Before Ardonagh, Hearn also held roles with Willis Group Holdings and its businesses from 2008 until 2015, including president and deputy chief executive.

Prior to that, he held senior leadership positions with Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs, Glencairn Limited, Marsh Affinity Europe and Middle East, Marsh Affinity UK and Sedgwick Affinity Group Services.

Powell Brown, Brown and Brown’s president and chief executive, said: “We are at an exciting stage of our growth journey and leveraging Hearn’s deep relationships and global experience further enables us to identify like-minded organisations to join Brown and Brown and to attract, recruit, develop and retain the best and brightest insurance professionals.

“He has made great contributions to Brown and Brown during his time on the board. As we work towards our next interim revenue goal of $8bn, we believe the timing is right to have Hearn join the organisation to help drive operational excellence and scale, while we continue to further our position as a leading global provider of insurance solutions.”