Life insurer Clark UK appoints Joshua Sargent as new CEO
One of the UK’s fastest-growing life insurance and protection businesses, Clark UK, has appointed Joshua Sargent as its new CEO, replacing outgoing CEO and Founder Matt Edwards to take the top job.
Edwards will return to his native New Zealand after 15 years behind the reigns of Clark UK, which he originally founded as E-finity Leads in 2012.
He then led to company’s repositioning to become Candid in 2019, before another strategic move in 2023 to join Clark Group. Since then, the life insurer has been known as Clark UK.
On departing from his long-held post, Edwards says: “Over the last 5 years we have proven that even the oldest and most well-established industries can be disrupted.
“We have built one of the UK's largest protection distributors within the space of a short few years, protected thousands of families, and changed the face of protection forever. I am very proud of this achievement.
“I am pleased to leave Clark UK in the capable hands of Joshua, who I know will continue to represent our values and ethos through our trusted, market-leading brands.”
The making of Sargent, Clark UK CEO
Sargent has worked hand-in-hand with Edwards during this time as the insurer has worked to realign its business model.
Now CEO, Sargent takes responsibility for leading the entire UK division of Clark Group, including the consumer brands Polly, Tom, Winston and Anorak, in conjunction with Clark Group CEO Christopher Oster.
Per the promotion, Sargent will also join the Clark Executive Committee, working on the company’s overarching strategy and taking a hand in broader decision-making processes.
Sargent says: “I’m fortunate to have forged a robust and collaborative partnership with Matt over the last seven years, and I’m committed to maintaining the firm’s strategy to grow our consumer brands and continue to strengthen our position in the UK protection market.”
Clark UK’s new CEO highlights a drive to promote from within; Sargent has worked with the insurer since taking a position as an Account Manager in 2016.
Following success as a Commercial Manager and then General Manager saw Sargent land the post of COO in 2020, before taking the role of CEO in 2023.
Sargent: Step one in ambitious growth plans
Sargent’s appointment is not the only strategic shift to take place at Clark UK. The insurer has also announced the promotion of its Head of Distribution, Richard Kerton, to the role of Chief Distribution Officer and Director.
Keaton has been at Clark UK for three years, and will now be responsible for product distribution and development of B2B partnerships.
Clark UK is also expected to announce a new Managing Director later this year, who will be tasked with developing the firm’s UK mobile application business – a new sub-business of Clark UK which is a planned part of its strategic growth strategy.
Sargent concludes: “Our commitment to innovation and growth remains unwavering. We will continue to invest in our people and our products, allowing us to further explore and develop our mobile applications and associated products to ensure we provide the best possible experience for our customers.”
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