profiles
Matthew Andrews
Matthew has been an executive search consultant serving the insurance industry since 1987.
His career in insurance started as a reinsurance broker with Jardine Thompson Graham. His first role in executive search involved setting up an insurance search practice for financial services specialist, Baines Gwinner. In 1990, he co-founded DDA Limited, a boutique international insurance search firm. The firm had offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Matthew led the company’s London-based insurance practice developing a reputation in particular for handling international and cross-border assignments.
In 2000, he joined Korn/Ferry International, the world's largest search firm, as a Senior Client Partner with leadership responsibility for its UK and European Insurance Practice. In this capacity he also worked on a number of global projects. He chaired Korn/Ferry’s European Promotions Committee and was a member of its Integrated Services Board, monitoring the growth and development of its largest global accounts. He was actively involved in working with its Leadership Development Solutions business providing management assessment services to major international insurers.
In 2006 he was appointed to establish the global insurance practice of CTPartners, an expansive US based search firm. The practice had consultants in London, New York and Hong Kong handling senior level searches. It developed a particularly strong reputation for its ability to handle cross-border searches for insurance clients.
Drawing on over twenty years as an insurance industry and search professional, Matthew has a close understanding of the issues facing leaders in all sectors of the global insurance industry. In addition to his numerous Chief Executive Officer and other board level appointments, his background in insurance enables him to handle senior underwriting and broking roles. He has worked with the boards of many insurers and brokers in the appointment of Non Executive Directors.
A Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, Matthew received a B.A. Hons degree from Durham University. He was a member of the European Government Business Relations Council.
Alison O'Connor
Alison has worked in executive search and senior level recruitment in the insurance industry since 1996.
She started her career in Human Resources with FTSE100 company ICI, before moving to boutique insurance executive search company DDA Limited. She was soon promoted to Head of Research where she managed a team delivering research globally on assignments. In 2000 following the sale of DDA, she joined Korn/Ferry International as a Senior Associate, working as a member of the team which built the European Insurance practice.
In 2004, Alison was recruited to establish and lead the global recruitment strategy for UK based insurer, Beazley plc. At Beazley Alison assisted in both growing the existing business and entering new product lines and geographies by attracting talented individuals in the United States, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe at a time of great expansion for the company. She founded insurance recruitment company Carlton Hodges in 2008.
Alison's career experience in research, recruitment consultancy and setting up the inhouse recruitment function for an insurer provides her with an extremely detailed and well-informed knowledge of the insurance market. She combines a thorough and analytical approach to the search process with the ability to communicate credibly and authoritatively with clients.
Alison graduated from Leeds University with a B.A. Hons in History.
Paul O'Brien
Paul is the Research Associate for Hawksmoor Search.
Paul graduated from the University of York in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in history, including a first-class dissertation. Paul has spent the past eighteen months in a research capacity for a variety of different organisations in both the commercial and public sectors. During his period as an intern in the Houses of Parliament with front-bench Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson MP, Paul produced speeches and research briefings on a range of topics, and drafted a report that was published by two major national newspapers. Paul has also provided support for high-end consultancy projects in the market research environment.
Paul is responsible for market intelligence at Hawksmoor Search.