UK Construction Team – New Business Lead, Contractors. in Slough

Who are we? Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries. People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

The role Howden’s UK Contractors team is expanding, and we are looking to appoint a new business professional from either the insurance or UK construction industry to help accelerate growth across the UK contractor market. This is a front-end, relationship-led role focused on engaging with UK contractors, gaining a deep understanding of how their businesses operate, building relationships and introducing Howden’s specialist construction insurance and risk advisory offering. You will work alongside one of the most experienced UK construction broking teams in the market, supported by strong technical capability across both annual programmes and project-specific placements. In this role, you will be responsible for originating and developing new client relationships across the UK contractor landscape, with a particular focus on mid to large contractors, specialist contractors, and complex risks.

What you’ll do:

• Building and maintaining senior-level relationships with UK contractors and related stakeholders.
• Identifying new business opportunities across annual programmes and project-specific placements.
• Acting as the primary commercial lead, working closely with broking, claims, and specialist teams to deliver tailored insurance solutions.
• Translating contractors’ commercial, operational, and contractual challenges into clear insurance and risk strategies.
• Representing Howden at industry events, client meetings, and networking forums.
• Helping deliver and execute the UK Contractors growth strategy.
• Manage and maintain the Salesforce CRM system ensuring high quality, standardised data that is relevant and accurate working hand-in-hand with the members of the UK Contractor Team.

This is a true sales and relationship role. You will not be expected to place risks yourself, but you will be expected to understand the construction environment — commercially and operationally — and sell Howden’s proposition with credibility.

Who we’re looking for We are open to candidates from both insurance and the UK construction industry. You are likely to:

• Have a strong track record in business development, client engagement, or senior commercial roles within either Construction insurance or insurance broking or The UK construction industry (e.g. contractors, consultants, project services, or related sectors).
• Be comfortable engaging with senior decision-makers within UK contracting businesses.
• Understand how contractors operate, how projects are procured and delivered, and where risk sits contractually.
• Be commercially minded, confident, and relationship-driven.
• Enjoy working as part of a specialist, collaborative team.
• Direct insurance broking experience is advantageous but not essential. We are particularly interested in individuals who bring strong contractor relationships, sector credibility, and the ability to open doors.

Why Howden Howden’s Construction & Infrastructure Assets team combines:

• An entrepreneurial, employee-owned culture that rewards initiative and performance.
• Deep technical expertise across UK Contractors, Projects, Professional Indemnity, and complex risks.
• A genuinely joined-up, “one-team” approach across broking, claims and advisory services.
• Global market access and specialist capability, delivered through a single P&L model.

What do we offer in return? A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new.
• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges.
• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond.

Reasonable adjustments We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours or hybrid working. If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.