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About the Role

The Independent Chair leads the Board in setting the Company’s strategic direction, ensuring effective governance, and maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance, culture, and conduct. This role provides independent oversight of executive management, promotes constructive challenge, and ensures the Board operates effectively in the long-term interests of the Company, its policyholders, and wider stakeholders. The role is a Senior Manager Function (SMF9 – Chair) and is subject to regulatory approval.

Responsibilities

Chair the Board, setting its agenda and ensuring balanced, rigorous, and well-informed decision-making.
Foster a culture of openness, challenge, and collective responsibility across executive and non-executive directors.
Ensure the Board has the right skills, experience, and diversity to discharge its duties effectively.
Act as a key interface between the subsidiary Board and the parent organisation, ensuring effective information flow while safeguarding the Board’s independent judgement.
Ensure group policies, mandates, and expectations are adopted only where consistent with the subsidiary’s legal, regulatory, and fiduciary obligations.
Escalate matters appropriately to the parent where risks, conflicts, or regulatory sensitivities arise.
Lead the Board’s oversight of the Company’s strategy, risk appetite, and business plan.
Support and challenge executive management on delivery of strategic objectives and financial performance.
Ensure appropriate oversight of capital, solvency, and long-term sustainability.
Ensure robust governance arrangements aligned to regulatory expectations and group standards.
Oversee the effectiveness of the system of internal control and risk management.
Work closely with Board Committee Chairs (Audit, Risk, Remuneration, Nominations) to ensure effective coordination and escalation.
Act as the Board’s primary non-executive point of engagement with the regulator, as appropriate.
Ensure the firm meets its obligations under SM&CR, including individual and collective accountability.
Uphold high standards of conduct, culture, and customer outcomes in line with regulatory expectations.
Lead the Board’s oversight of culture, values, and conduct.
Support Board and Executive succession planning, including the evaluation of Board and Committee effectiveness.
Provide appropriate support, mentoring, and challenge to the CEO.

Requirements

Board experience in a UK-regulated financial services or insurance environment.
Experience within a subsidiary of a larger group or international insurer.
Good understanding of UK insurance regulation, governance, risk management, and SM&CR.
Demonstrated ability to balance challenge and support, and work constructively with executives and regulators.
Proven independence of judgement, integrity, and credibility at senior stakeholder level.
Previous SMF9 (or equivalent) approval.
Track record of leading organisations through change, growth, or strategic transformation.
Gravitas and authority combined with a collegiate and inclusive leadership style.
Sound judgement, resilience, and the confidence to constructively challenge executives.
Commitment to high standards of governance, ethics, and regulatory compliance.

Experience Level

Senior Manager Function (SMF9 – Chair)

About the Company

HSB (UK and Ireland) is a leading specialist provider of engineering, technology, and structural warranty insurance solutions, plant and equipment inspection services, and engineering-based risk management activities in the UK and Ireland.
HSB (UK and Ireland) consists of the parent company HSB Engineering Insurance Limited (HSBEIL) together with its two UK subsidiaries, HSB Engineering Inspection Services Limited (HSBEISL); and a regulated MGA, MD Insurance Services Limited (MDIS), which trades as Premier Guarantee or LABC Warranty.
Collectively HSB is the UK and Ireland’s only group of companies solely focused on providing specialist engineering and technology insurance solutions and risk-focused inspection services and assessments to its customers.
At Munich Re, embracing the power of differences is at the core of who we are. We believe diversity fosters resilience and innovation and enables us to act on our purpose of helping humankind act braver and better.
We recognise diversity can be multi-dimensional, intersectional, and complex, so we want to build a diverse workforce that includes a wide range of racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender identities; economic and geographic backgrounds; physical abilities; ages; life, school, and career experiences; and political, religious, and personal beliefs.
Additionally, we are committed to building an equitable and inclusive work environment where this diversity is celebrated, valued, and has equitable opportunities to succeed.

Equal Opportunity

If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with everything outlined, or you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the candidate we are looking for!
All candidates in consideration for any role can request a reasonable adjustment at any point in our recruitment process. You can request an adjustment by speaking to your Talent Acquisition contact.