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A Force for Good

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Insurance - A Force for Good

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” – Winston Churchill 

There is a growing desire among private clients to catalyse a positive impact through philanthropic giving. Both brokers like ourselves and insurance companies are also doing our part to contribute.   

We believe insurance is more than just a financial product; it is a force for good, capable of effecting positive change in people’s lives, the environment, the economy and the world at large. At its core, insurance is a powerful and resilient tool that can amplify giving and offers peace of mind by mitigating risks.

Putting it in action

One of the ships queuing up to shift the 20 million tonnes of grain stuck in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion was of particular interest to David Howden, the CEO of Howden Group. Through brokering insurance for a vessel chartered by the United Nations to transport grain from Ukraine, Howden Group aimed to alleviate food shortages for millions of people in the Middle East and Africa. Read more here

More recently, on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), our Howden broking teams successfully placed the highly intricate insurances to enable a salvage operation to take place to prevent what could become one of the most significant oil spills and human-caused environment disasters in the world. The UNDP themselves called this “Mission Impossible” and this project has brought the power of insurance to new audiences. Read more here

Making a difference beyond business operations

As part of the Howden Group, doing good and giving back to our community are deeply ingrained in our corporate culture. In addition to the various corporate social responsibility initiatives and volunteer activities, donations are made to local charity partners across Dubai, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland and the U.S. for every successful insurance policy placed through us.

Established in 2014, the Howden Group Foundation is the corporate foundation of Howden Group Holdings, extending the charitable work of the business and its people around the world. The foundation has donated more than £5M to charitable partners across 38 countries globally since inception.

A touch of Dubai

Our DIFC Branch was launched just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and like many countries, Dubai also faced lockdown measures. During such times of uncertainty, one thing became abundantly clear: that nothing is certain. Since then, wealth planning with our clients have become much deeper as they have had more time to ponder, “What is it that truly matters?”.

The DIFC team exhibited remarkable resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges. As we navigate the impending intergenerational wealth transfers, client conversations evolved into profound explorations, moving beyond returns and investments to focus on their core values and priorities.   

By embracing compassion through the power of insurance as a force for good, we believe it can create a ripple effect of positivity, shaping a better world for all.  



Nehha Kaapil
Senior Executive Officer & Head of International, Dubai
nkaapil@howdengroup.com

With over a decade of experience in advising High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth families in succession and wealth transfer planning needs with internationally sourced life insurance solutions, Nehha oversees the International, GCC, NRI and Africa markets out of Dubai.