Financial & Professional Services

Howden

Written by Mark Burgess | 10 Jan 2024

Harry didn't realise the enormous scale of the potential disaster until he spoke to the UN. They faced a challenge: the FSO Safer, a supertanker moored in the Red Sea, had fallen into disrepair over the years during the Yemen conflict. 1.1 million oil barrels were at risk of spilling into the ocean, causing untold environmental and social damage. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) came to Howden to put together a deal to insure the oil transfer, which was unprecedented territory for both parties. Harry and his team stepped up.

Howden is an insurance broker guided by their four brand truths: People-first, a force for good, no limits, and collective power. The FSO Safer story embodies all four values, given the scale of the challenge and the collaboration required to avoid disaster, which was truly epic.

We spent the day filming with Harry in Fowey, Cornwall, and collaborated with the UN film unit to source footage of the transfer operation. Watch the film to discover how a $20 billion catastrophe was averted.

Harry's story is part of a suite of films used in the Howden Group rebrand — a major milestone for the business. It has only recently been published, so it's too early to provide definitive results, but the initial response has been fantastic. It features prominently on the careers page and was well-received at its premiere at the Howden Group senior leadership conference in October 2023. It's one of several stories, including this short film about their climate risk work in areas vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather and environmental events.