Marsh boss joins Gallagher as new UK and Ireland retail chief executive

Broker giant Gallagher has appointed Nick Harris as the new chief executive of its UK and Ireland retail division.

Harris will join the firm from Marsh in July and report directly to Michael Rea, chief executive of Gallagher’s UK business.

In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing the work of 4,000 colleagues who look after the risk management and insurance needs of over 1m commercial organisations and individuals.

Harris said: “Gallagher has a unique reputation amongst the large brokers and I am delighted to take the helm of its UK and Ireland retail operations and join its fantastic leadership team.

“The team has benefited from strong organic growth over a sustained period, plus an enviable track record of successful acquisitions and I will be looking to continue this growth.

“Our offices across the UK and Ireland are a critical part of our service to clients, providing firms with important regional expertise and I am looking forward to meeting these teams to understand how they support clients and the solutions we offer.”

Experience

At Marsh, Harris most recently served as the chief executive of the broker’s Pacific division, a position he took up when the business purchased Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) in 2019.

The role saw him lead operations and trading in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. 

Prior to this, Harris spent a number of years in a variety of c-suite roles for JLT in the Pacific region.

Rea said that Harris ”will be a fantastic chief executive for clients and our colleagues across our UK and Ireland Retail division”.

“He is a natural leader who brings a commercially driven mind, which will help fuel continued growth and maintain our positive culture that underpins everything we do,” he added.

“Having led this business myself for a number of years, I know that the team has unrivalled commitment and passion for our clients, providing them with advice on how to best manage their risk, enabling firms to focus on successful trading.

“I am looking forward to working with him as we continue to grow Gallagher in the UK.”