Specialist global insurer, Hiscox, has announced that Russ Findlay has been promoted to Group CMO. This concludes a thorough internal and external global search.
Russ has been with Hiscox since 2013, and most recently served as CMO Hiscox USA. During his time with the insurer, he has been at the forefront of a number of award-winning marketing campaigns, such as Hiscox’s Encourage Courage brand platform. In addition to this, in 2018, he was named Marketer of the Year by the Association of National Advertisers.
Prior to joining Hiscox, Russ served as: Senior Vice President of Marketing for IHOP; CMO for Major League Soccer; and Vice President of Marketing for PepsiCo. In addition to this, he has been named one of the most influential marketers in the world by The Internationalist, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Association of National Advertisers and on the National Advertising Review Board.
In his new role as Group CMO, Russ will reportedly lead a global marketing team consisting of 125 members, and will be responsible for the company’s global marketing and brand-building activity, with a particular focus on its key retail markets across the UK, mainland Europe and the US. According to the statement, Russ will report to Ben Walter, Chief Executive Officer of Hiscox Global Retail, and succeed Steve Langan, who will now focus solely on his role as Chief Executive Officer of Hiscox USA.
Ben said: “When Steve joined Hiscox 14 years ago, he established the company’s first fully integrated marketing department. Building a brand takes time, but thanks to his energy and expertise we now have not only an internationally recognised brand but also a world class marketing team. Given the substantial growth of Hiscox in the US and resulting demands of the two roles, Steve has decided to step down as Group CMO so he can focus 100% on leading our US endeavours, and Russ is an excellent candidate to step into the role.
“Russ has done an extraordinary job transforming Hiscox USA’s marketing programme and elevating the brand to become synonymous with small business insurance in the US. I’m excited that the rest of the Hiscox Group will now benefit from his creativity and leadership as Group CMO and look forward to his marketing leadership as we embark on our next phase of growth.”
Russ commented: “Hiscox USA has become a leading business insurance provider in a relatively short space of time, and I’m proud to have contributed to its journey so far. Now I’m looking forward to working with all of our operating regions around the world to find new ways to share our unique story with our customers, brokers and partners.”
