Insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firm Gallagher has boosted its presence in the South West with the appointment of Richard Horne as regional broking director.
Richard, pictured, will report to Stephen Smith, who leads Gallagher’s South of England broking & placement team, which supports regional offices in managing insurer relationships, as well as ensuring access to a wide range of products and services for clients. 
In his new role, Richard will be responsible for assisting client-facing teams in an area stretching from Swindon to Torquay, providing in-depth technical insurance expertise and advice for clients with complex risk requirements, and supporting the offices with managing their insurer relationships.
Richard, who has 11 years’ industry experience, joins Gallagher from insurer RSA, where he was most recently broker account manager for the South West. Prior to that he was area South West sales manager for Aspen Insurance Services.
He succeeds Brian Walker, who will be retiring after 41 years at Gallagher.
Richard, who will be based in Gallagher’s Bristol office, said: “Having worked for insurers for a number of years, I am delighted to be moving to the broking side of the industry, and to be joining a broker which has a well-established presence in the South West and is embedded in the local communities it serves.
“I look forward to supporting my colleagues in the South West to ensure the best outcome for all our clients and helping to build on the positive momentum Gallagher has through its 300- strong team in the South West.”
Stephen Smith added: “I am very pleased to welcome Richard to the team. His wealth of industry expertise, local market knowledge and demonstrable experience in building a strong rapport with stakeholders makes him a natural choice for this role, and he will play a pivotal role in helping our South West offices with their insurer relationships and clients with complicated risk requirements.”
US-owned Gallagher has operations in 49 countries around the world and more than 5,200 employees specialising in risk management, and insurance solutions, for corporate, commercial and personal customers.
