Blanc exits Hastings board as Mark Cliff steps in

Hastings Insurance has appointed Mark Cliff as an independent non-executive director, subject to regulatory approval.

The appointment was first flagged through a filing on Companies House on 18 January.

In a statement sent to Insurance Age, Hastings said that Cliff joining the company was prompted by Peter Blanc’s resignation at the end of 2021, due to a potential conflict of interest which emerged following Aston’s Lark acquisition by Howden.

Conflicts
A spokesperson explained: “Peter Blanc had reached the end of his second three-year term as independent non-executive chair of Hastings Direct, the broking entity within the Hastings Group. And, coincidentally, following the acquisition of Aston Lark Group, where Peter is CEO, by Howden Group, potential conflicts of interest emerged.

“This led to a mutual agreement that Peter would step down from his role with Hastings Direct; Peter’s resignation took effect from 31 December 2021. We would like to thank Peter for his contribution over the last six years.

Hastings confirmed that Cliff stepped into the non-executive director position and will also be taking over the role of chair once he receives regulatory approval.

“We look forward to working with Mark, who has extensive experience in UK insurance, specifically broking and distribution, in both executive and non-executive roles,” the spokesperson continued.

Career
Cliff was previously chief executive officer of Ageas Retail after having worked for insurers such as Axa and RSA.

After joining Ageas in 2008, he resigned to take up the role of executive chairman at Brightside in 2014.

He joined the broker as executive chairman in May 2015 and later that year, in September, he was appointed as CEO.

In July 2018, Cliff moved to a non-executive director role with the broker, and the CEO position was taken over by former Axa boss Brendan McCafferty.

A year later, Insurance Age revealed that Cliff exited the broker altogether. He then joined motor broker Be Wiser Insurance Services as non-executive director, focusing on risk audit governance.

Since exiting Brightside, Cliff took on several other NED advisory board posts, including roles at Iotatech and Premfina alongside a position at MGA Avid Insurance.

Most recently, in June 2021, the former Brightside boss joined the Hiscox board as NED.

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