Global insurance and reinsurance broking group Howden has appointed José Ignacio Lathrop as Executive Chair, Howden Latin America (LatAm), reinforcing its ambitions to accelerate growth across one of the world’s fastest-growing insurance regions.
In his new role, Lathrop will leverage his extensive market expertise to guide Howden’s Latin American business, working closely with Sonia Caamaño, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), International Growth Markets, to drive regional expansion, strengthen client solutions, and deepen engagement across key markets. He will join the group following the completion of contractual obligations with his current employer.
The appointment comes as Howden continues to scale its footprint in Latin America amid rising demand for sophisticated risk solutions. The broker has expanded its regional presence through a series of strategic acquisitions, including Contacto in 2023 and Innova Re in Peru and Ureta & Fernandez in Chile in 2025. Howden is also rapidly growing its retail broking platform in the United States.
Lathrop brings more than 30 years of experience in the Latin American insurance market. Most recently, he served at Marsh as CEO of Marsh Chile, with additional responsibility for Argentina and Uruguay. Previously, he established and built JLT’s operations in Chile.
Caamaño said, “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 of 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.”
The appointment underscores Howden’s broader strategy of combining leadership hires with acquisitions to build scale across high-growth markets, positioning the broker to capture increasing demand for complex risk solutions across Latin America.
