Sheffield Haworth Appoints Special Advisor to Insurance Practice
March 22, 2021 – Global leadership advisory and executive search firm Sheffield Haworth has appointed Sabine VanderLinden as special advisor to its insurance practice. Ms. VanderLinden is a co-founder, CEO and managing partner of Alchemy Crew, a venture validation firm. “I am delighted that Sabine has joined Sheffield Haworth as a special advisor to the insurance practice,” said Ben Johnson, managing director and head of the insurance practice. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from across the insurtech space, an area in which will see significant growth this year as insurers look to innovate further. I am looking forward to working with Sabine on enhancing our talent solutions to insurtech businesses as we continue to grow our presence across the insurance industry.”
Formerly the co-founder and CEO of Startupbootcamp InsurTech (U.K.) and Hartford’s InsurTech Hub Accelerator (U.S.), Ms. VanderLinden has worked and sourced over 15,000 ventures, accelerated more than 70 start-ups with the support of over 30 corporate insurers. She has also helped these young market players raise over $100 million in funding. Sheffield Haworth says that Ms. VanderLinden is a pioneer in building innovation ecosystems and in 2019, she scaled a new set of programs called Co-creation Labs which enable corporates to achieve measurable outcomes from working with growth ventures.
“I am thrilled that Ben and his team at Sheffield Haworth are seeking to focus their attention on an emerging and growing sector that requires the skills, expertise, talent and advice to scale its businesses to new heights,” said Ms. VanderLinden. “I look forward to bringing an insurtech ecosystem lens to the Sheffield Haworth’s insurance team and applying an outside-in mindset to evaluating the motivation and limitation affecting entrepreneurs out there while conveying considerations for unique collaborations.”
A Strong Position
Sheffield Haworth recently announced 18 other promotions across all levels and geographies of the firm. Among them, Andrew Thompson was named managing director within the asset management team in the U.S. “We are extremely proud of what our team achieved in 2020,” said Mr. Cormack. “It was a difficult and turbulent time for many people both personally and professionally. We pulled together to support our clients, bringing us closer as a business.”
“We have begun 2021 in a strong position in line with our Vision 2025 growth plan,” he said. “Through hard work, persistence and collaboration across offices and practices around the world, I believe that we can take big strides towards achieving our goals.”
The Americas and Asia will be key growth areas for Sheffield Haworth across all practices and solutions, and particularly in the technology and professional services sector. “We are actively looking for new talent to join us on this exciting journey,” said the firm.
A Newly Created Role
In another move, in December, Sheffield Haworth added Georgina Harley, formerly a partner at Mercer Consulting, as a group managing director and head of new sectors and services. In the newly created role, Ms. Harley joined the executive management committee and is responsible for key growth areas including consulting and technology services, talent development and advisory, and interim and consultancy services.
Diversity Hiring Trends: A Look Forward & Back
In this brand new episode of ‘Talent Talks,’ Hunt Scanlon Media host Rob Adams is joined by Helen Tudor, global DE&I lead and Rhona Gibson, U.S. DE&I lead from Sheffield Haworth. These two experienced diversity specialists share their views on the current state of diversity hiring and how it has been impacted by the events of 2020. They also share how diversity recruiting differs in the U.S. vs. the U.K. Listen Now!
“We are thrilled that Georgina will be joining the team at Sheffield Haworth,” said Tim Sheffield, the firm’s chairman. “After a challenging year, we are looking forward to developing new services with our clients and accelerating the growth of the business in line with our strategic goals. Our aim is to be the No. 1 challenger consultancy in people and transformational change.”
During her 19-year career with Mercer, a human resource consulting business, she held a number of management and leadership roles in Sydney and London, including P&L management of growth businesses, international expansion of products and services, led multiple acquisitions and integrations, and managed cross functional teams. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and statistics from Australia National University and an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
Sheffield Haworth, founded in 1993, is a global executive search, talent advisory and interim consulting firm. The organization partners with clients around the world to provide tailored solutions for their business and talent needs at the senior management level. The firm has 10 offices throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. It serves clients in the financial services, business and professional services and technology industries.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
