Hiscox hires chief HR officer

HiscoxSpecialist global insurer Hiscox has appointed Nicola Grant (pictured) as its chief HR officer, effective from 1 September and subject to regulatory consents.

Grant will be based in London for her new role, joining the group executive committee and reporting to group chief executive officer Aki Hussain. She replaces Amanda Brown, who will retire in June after 15 years at Hiscox.

Grant’s role will see her lead a team of 90 HR professionals around the world and drive the group’s people strategy, which will include oversight of its HR policies and procedures in order to attract, retain and develop staff to support the next phase of its growth.

Grant has more than 20 years’ HR experience gained across the UK, USA and Europe and was most recently based in Amsterdam. This includes 17 years at ING Group, where she oversaw HR transformation, redesign of the business models for analytics and innovation, and enhanced succession planning while championing diversity and equity.

Hussain said: “Nicola will be a great addition to our executive team, bringing fresh perspective and thinking to our plans and ambitions. As a global business, Nicola’s multi-market experience really appealed to Hiscox, and as we continue to enhance our employee proposition this year I’m excited to work closely with her to further cement our position as an employer of choice within the insurance sector.”

Grant added: “Hiscox is a financial services brand that I’ve admired for some time so I’m incredibly excited to be coming on board. I’ve always been impressed by Hiscox’s distinctiveness and I can’t wait to contribute to that through how we attract and retain great people.”