The State of Engagement:
Kate Gough, Howden
How do you look after group-wide employee engagement when you hit 25,000 over 57 countries? Kate Gough is tasked with just that, and she believes it’s all about holding on to a “like no other” culture, and amplifying what makes their people different.
This is done in many different ways, from global recognition programmes, awards, and campaigns that showcase the diverse routes into and through insurance, as well as those out-of-the-box activations that bring their people together and help keep them connected. In this issue, founder Joe and Kate explore the State of Engagement at Howden!
Howden is a leading global insurance brokers, ranked 8th in the world by AM Best, managing more than $54 billion in premiums for clients. Now, they’re leading the way in innovative insurance solutions and trusted expertise, for their clients worldwide, and as importantly, their people. This is not a paid for/sponsored post.
What engages employees?
“I don’t think it’s ever just one thing, and you certainly can’t expect to engage 25,000 employees with a single strategy or approach” says Kate. The big mistake she sees is to assume that – what engages a Gen Z employee is the same as what engages someone who’s a Boomer nearing the end of their career.
“So for me, it’s diversity of approach that engages best. Some people want clarity, a clear sense of company vision and purpose. Others are motivated by knowing their work is genuinely valued. And for others, flexibility is the key driver. The job isn’t finding the one lever that works for everyone. It’s understanding your people well enough to know which lever matters to whom.”
What do you believe gives Howden the edge in attracting talent?
Kate’s career had predominantly been in fashion. Howden was her first real corporate role, joining after returning from maternity leave. “Honestly, it completely
changed the stereotypes I’d built up in my head about both corporate life and the insurance industry.
“What sets us apart is that we genuinely are “like no other.” We’re employee-owned, so people have a real stake in the business and a real say in its direction. Nothing about
how we operate feels like the industry norm. When we fundraise, we do it with heart, we recently handed our London office’s hospitality franchise over to 40 kids for the day, all
in aid of our charity partner, Felix. We lead with authenticity, right from the top down. Just recently, our Chief People Officer, Kirk Southern, spoke openly about his own
background and career path as part of the launch of our social mobility employee resource group.”
What’s important to Kate is to share the real stories of people progressing internally. Because of the scale of the business, they’re able to offer genuinely unique exposure across so many different
routes into insurance. For Kate, that combination of ownership, authenticity and opportunity is what makes people want to join them, and what makes them want to stay.
In your experience, what are employees looking for most?
Similarly for Kate, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer.
“We’re currently doing a big piece of data work around women in our business, so we can better understand their needs. For example, are we seeing women’s careers stall at a certain level? Are career breaks a driver? Does the sentiment we hear match the trends we’re seeing in the data?
The idea is that this will build a stronger employee profile, so we can tailor our approach far more accurately.”
Kate leans heavily on women here, and you can see it’s an area she’s genuinely passionate about. But she explains that these themes apply more broadly too.
“Overall, I think what people want from a workplace is the same as what they want from any other relationship in their life, whether that’s a friendship group, a family, or a
sports team. You want to feel respected, recognised and valued. If people feel that, everything else, engagement, loyalty, performance, tends to follow.”
Which part of EVP matters most to you personally?
EVP, or Employee Value Proposition, is the balance of what people give and what they get back. I like to break it down into seven pillars:
Brand & Purpose, Culture, Environment, Monetary, Prospects, Relationships, and Wellbeing.
“I think if you’d asked this question a decade ago, the answer would have leaned heavily towards monetary”, says Kate.
“But there’s been a real shift, especially among younger generations, towards wanting to work somewhere they can genuinely align with the brand and its purpose. The world of work is changing too, the only route in isn’t corporate anymore”. More people are branching out alone, building personal brands on social media, or going freelance. There are simply more ways to earn than there used to be, which means culture and purpose now have to work much harder to earn that loyalty.
“We’re also seeing a huge shift in awareness around mental health and wellbeing, and I think any business not making that a priority is making a big mistake.” Kate shares an incredible stat – it’s estimated that poor mental health costs the UK economy £102 billion a year in lost productivity, absenteeism and resignations, so this isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a genuine business
risk.
Personally for Kate, the pillar she leans to is Brand & Purpose, “because I think it’s the thread that runs through everything else. If people believe in why a business exists, they’re far more forgiving when other things aren’t perfect, and far more motivated to stay and grow with it. That said, the real skill in EVP isn’t picking a favourite pillar, it’s making sure all seven work together so no one is left feeling like an afterthought.”
Hear hear.
What do you see are the biggest people challenges Howden is facing right now?
“I think the biggest challenge, as Howden continues to grow at such pace, is holding onto our people-first culture and making sure everyone still feels connected, both to each other and to our wider purpose. That’s no small feat when you’re scaling this fast.
The bigger we get, the easier it is for people to feel like a number, especially if they’re in a smaller team or a newer part of the business that hasn’t had years to build those relationships yet. So I’d like to see us keep investing in the things that build genuine connection, whether that’s our employee resource groups, cross-office collaboration, or simply making sure leadership stays visible and accessible rather than becoming more remote as we scale.
If I had to sum it up: growth is a brilliant problem to have, but it’s still a problem. My focus is making sure that as we get bigger, we don’t get more distant, from each other, or from why we’re all here in the first place.”
Connect with Kate on Linkedin
Visit the Howden Insurance Careers Site
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Click here for past editions of The State of Engagement