BARBON INSURANCE GROUP STRENGTHENS BOARD WITH NEW APPOINTMENT

April 6, 2017

Barbon Insurance Group Ltd (Barbon), the UK’s leading provider of risk solutions to the residential lettings sector, via its HomeLet and Rentshield Direct brands, has appointed Mark Witherspoon as non-executive director, subject to the usual regulatory approval.

Mark brings extensive experience across retail financial services and property sectors.  He is currently Data Services Director at Zoopla Property Group.  Mark has led the development of a wide range of innovative data services for the UK property sector, including a number of successful commercial collaborations with other leading digital players. He has previously held leadership roles at major companies including Hometrack Data Systems Ltd UKValuation Ltd and Barclays Bank and is non-executive director of Hearthstone Investments plc and edozo.

Barbon, trading as HomeLet and Rentshield, works with many of the leading letting agents in the UK, who rely on its market leading tenant referencing service, as well as tens of thousands of landlords and tenants as policyholders of its specialist insurance products.  The company also produces the HomeLet Rental Index™, the most comprehensive and up-to-date data on new tenancies and rental prices across the UK, which provides valuable and comprehensive insights for its customers.

Commenting on his appointment, Mark said: “I am excited to be joining Barbon at a time when it is well positioned to earn the right to be an important strategic partner for the private rental sector. Being able to capitalise on the HomeLet brand’s unique insights, available from its wealth of consumer data, represents an opportunity to add huge value for both the company and its customers.

Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in both the property sector and data analytics and insights.  He will support Barbon’s management team which is committed to accelerating the pace of innovation in the business and providing solutions to opportunities and challenges in the private rented sector.

Barbon, acquired by The Carlyle Group in 2015, has the financial strength and market leadership to capitalise on the expected growth in the private rental sector. With political will to increase the total supply of housing stock available, some of which will become private rental property, the sector is forecast to continue the growth seen in recent years.

Barbon CEO Martin Totty said: “Mark is an excellent addition to the Barbon board and the HomeLet brand.  His extensive experience in property, financial services and the digital arena will be important in helping us in our next phase. His background in data analytics will help us utilise Barbon’s unique and proprietary data to offer unrivalled strategic insights to our customers and capitalise on our role as an innovative partner within the private rental sector.”

Breaking News by: Hayley Hayley@mcgrorycommunications.com

 

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