Guardian has appointed Gower Wisdom as chief operating officer (COO) effective from 1 November.
Wisdom joins from AUL Assurance, a specialist start-up life insurer, where was CEO, and before that COO.
Prior to that he was product director at Skandia (part of Old Mutual Wealth and now Quilter), where he was responsible for the customer proposition and pricing strategy across the UK and international businesses. He led Skandia’s protection offering, consisting of whole of life cover and rolling term assurance, as well as the build and launch of its critical illness proposition in the UK.
Carlton Hood, CEO of Guardian, said: “Gower brings a winning combination of operational rigour, actuarial know-how and regulatory expertise, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to Guardian.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Gower before and know first-hand just how talented and values-driven he is.
“As Guardian continues to grow and challenge the market, Gower will play a key role in ensuring that, as our operations expand and the protection industry evolves, we remain strong and forward thinking.”
Wisdom added: “I’ve long admired this business’ bold and customer-centric approach to protection and its drive for better. For me, Guardian’s consistent track record of 5* service, as well as its market-leading proposition features like Payout Planner and the cover upgrade promise, clearly show how innovative thinking acts to move a market forwards.
“In my new role as COO, I’m excited to further scale a business that’s already setting the standard for both innovation and experience.”
Wisdom succeeds former COO, Duncan Mosely, who stepped down earlier this year. In addition to his appointment, Guardian has promoted Hilary Banks to chief commercial officer from commercial director.
