Leadership team
Executive team
David Ross
David Ross was appointed Chief Executive Officer of The Ardonagh Group in June 2017. This represented the culmination of a two-year process by shareholders and management to create the market leading independent distribution group in the UK.
An Insead Alumnus, David’s career has spanned 30 years on the front line of the insurance industry. This included a 25-year career at Arthur J Gallagher, including as CEO of the International Division, during which time the company underwent a defining period of growth and expansion.
Throughout his career, David has worked to ensure the industry remains a force for good, spearheading the creation of Ardonagh’s registered charity ACT, which together with our people has raised +£5.6 million. He was also instrumental in the creation of Ardonagh Academy, which is supporting development of the industry’s next generation of leaders.
Diane Cougill
Diane joined The Ardonagh Group in June 2018 as Chief Financial Officer. Diane was previously CFO and Insurance Director of the motoring and financial services group RAC. In her seven years she, alongside the CEO, sold the business out of Aviva to the Carlyle Group and more than doubled the enterprise value of the Group ahead of the eventual sale to GIC and CVC.
Diane is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has previously held senior management roles at a number of financial and energy companies including Aviva and TXU.
Aurelio Cusaro
Aurelio is Chief Investment Officer of The Ardonagh Group. Prior to joining Ardonagh in 2022, he was involved in the creation and growth of the Group as Managing Director of HPS Investment Partners, one of the anchor investors in Ardonagh from inception.
Prior to joining HPS in 2012, Aurelio was an Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Aurelio holds a BS and an MS in Management Engineering from Politecnico di Milano.
Des O'Connor
As Chief Commercial Officer, Des O’Connor is responsible for Ardonagh’s continued expansion across the globe and was instrumental in building the Group’s international presence in his prior role, CEO of Ardonagh Global Partners.
Des has more than 30 years’ experience in the UK insurance broking sector, including as CEO of Bravo Group, the UK’s largest network of independent insurance intermediaries. Prior to Bravo Group, Des used his expertise in leadership roles at Gallagher International between 2006 and 2014.
Des has worked within the Lloyd’s broking community since 1990.
James Masterton
James Masterton is Chairman of Ardonagh Specialty, which incorporates Price Forbes and other specialist and leading brands in Lloyd’s of London and global markets.
Previously CEO of Price Forbes & Partners, James has over 37 years’ experience in the insurance market. Prior to the purchase of the business by the management of Price Forbes & Partners Limited, James led the combined non-marine groups for the merged Price Forbes Limited and Prentis Donegan & Partners Limited under the ownership of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. James joined Prentis Donegan & Partners Limited in 1998 to help develop and subsequently lead its non-marine group.
James started his career in 1983 in London at Sedgwick, joining as a broker of property programmes for North American corporations, placing business into Lloyd’s and European markets and became a Director of Sedgwick North America Limited before moving to Prentis Donegan. James was appointed to the Board of the London and International Insurance Brokers’ Association (LIIBA) in June 2019.
Andrew Wallin
Andrew was appointed CEO of Ardonagh Specialty in January 2024. He joined Ardonagh following the acquisition of BGC Partners’ insurance operations in 2021 (also known as Corant Global) and was the Group’s Head of M&A from 2022-2023. Prior to Ardonagh, Andrew held key leaderships roles as President of Corant Global and Chief Commercial Officer of BGC Partners.
Andrew is a highly experienced leader, with previous positions including CEO, International / Underwriting at Ed Broking, Group Chief Executive Officer of Brightside Insurance Services Group, Commercial Director of Arthur J Gallagher International, Managing Director of Robertson Taylor and Managing Director of Oxygen Partners. He began his insurance career at Willis Limited.
Rob Worrell
Rob was a founding partner of The Insurance Partnership in 1993, overseeing the business to achieve a turnover of over £60 million, before becoming Managing Director in 2000, and negotiating its sale to Jelf in 2013.
He joined the Jelf Group Executive Board became Managing Director of Trading following the sale before being appointed CEO of Jelf in 2015 following its acquisition by Marsh. In December 2017, Rob was appointed CEO of Ardonagh’s UK Advisory platform, Everywhen, which includes the Towergate trading brand.
Outside insurance, Rob has a wide, varied and successful business portfolio across property, estate agency, education and manufacturing.
Conor Brennan
Conor Brennan joined The Ardonagh Group in 2020 as part of the acquisition of Arachas, Ireland’s fastest growing specialist corporate broker, where he held the role of CEO since May 2018. Today he leads the Group’s growing Europe platform as CEO, which has established presence in Ireland, the Netherlands, Greece, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.
Prior to this, he joined Zurich in 2008, first in Ireland where he rose through the ranks from Director of Broker Distribution to Chief Executive Officer, before moving to the UK where he became Head of General Insurance.
Prior to Zurich, he was Deputy CEO of Chambers Ireland and a director and shareholder in two tech start-up businesses.
José Manuel Dias da Fonseca
José Manuel Fonseca is CEO of MDS Group, Ardonagh’s growth platform for Iberia, Latin America and beyond.
He has been leading MDS for 25 years, driving its international expansion and consolidation as a reference in the insurance and risk consulting industry.
He is also the President and CEO of Brokerslink, a global broking company founded by MDS that manages a network of brokers and speciality risk and consulting firms.
He has been actively involved in several leading industry institutions. He served as Vice President of FERMA (Federation of European Risk Management Associations) for several years and also founded Apogeris, the Portuguese Risk Management and Insurance Association, which he chaired for 15 years.
Prior to joining MDS, he was responsible for introducing bancassurance in Portugal, founded a pension fund management company, and served as President of a Portuguese insurance company.
José Manuel has been honoured by FERMA as Broker Leader of the Year, a recognition of his outstanding contribution to advancing and promoting risk management. He was also named Person of the Year by the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Sao Paulo, for his role in furthering relationships and business between Portugal and Brazil, where MDS ranks among the top three insurance brokers.
Gregory Mullins
Greg Mullins is the CEO and founding equity partner of The Envest Group, Ardonagh’s growth platform for Australia and New Zealand.
Greg started his insurance career in South Africa after graduating from Stellenbosch University and securing a place in the highly sought-after Hollard Insurance Graduate Program. In 2006, Greg moved to Sydney to be part Hollard’s expansion into Australia. During the next ten years, he was instrumental in building its broker and underwriting business portfolio, eventually leading the Strategic Assets Division.
In 2016, Greg founded Envest as an independent, standalone investment vehicle with the backing of private equity and the support of Hollard executive leadership. Under his management, Envest has grown from a collection of minority-owned interests in broking businesses to a full-scale insurance distribution group with more than 40 brands placing over $ 3.9 billion in gross written premiums annually.
Non-executive directors
John Tiner CBE
With a career spanning over 40 years in financial services, from accounting through to his position as Chief Executive of the FSA, John has played a significant role in reforming the regulation of both the life and general insurance industries and improving consumers’ understanding of personal finance.
John previously held Non-Executive Director roles on the Board of Credit Suisse Group and Tilney Group Limited. Prior to this, John was CEO of the Resolution Group, a private investment company which, through M&A, sponsored the formation of The Friends Life Group Plc, a FTSE 100 company prior to its acquisition by Aviva in 2015.
John is Chairman of the Ardonagh Group Board and its Risk & Nominations Committee. In addition to his Ardonagh role, John is also the founder and Chairman of The Salcombe Brewery Co. Limited
Pat Butler
Pat brings extensive financial services experience to the Board, gained through both his executive and non-executive careers. He has previously served as a Non-Executive Director of Bank of Ireland Group PLC and Bank of Ireland (UK) PLC and was a partner at The Resolution Group, which conducts investment and restructuring activities in financial services. Pat has also chaired the Investment Committee of British Business Bank Investments Ltd, which is the commercial arm of the British Business Bank. Prior to that, he spent a number of years at McKinsey & Company Inc where he held senior roles, including leading the Europe, Middle East and Africa Retail Financial Services Practice.
In addition to his Ardonagh role, Pat is also Chairman of Aldermore Group plc, Non-Executive Director of Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC and Non-Executive Director of Res Media Limited.
Pat is a qualified accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.
Martyn Scrivens
Martyn’s career in audit, risk management and governance spans four decades, including operating at Board level in both the private and public sector. Martyn spent five years at Credit Suisse Group where he was Global Head of Internal Audit and prior to that he oversaw group audit functions at Lloyds Banking Group as Group Audit Director for nine years. Before joining Lloyds, Martyn spent 24 years at international professional services firm Arthur Andersen in the UK, Switzerland and Australia.
Martyn chairs the Group Audit Committee. In addition to his Ardonagh role, Martyn also serves on the Board of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and director and Audit Committee chair of Hampshire Trust Bank.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, where he chaired the Institute’s Internal Audit Advisory Panel for 10 years.