David Kneeshaw is to step down as IFGL’s CEO at the end of April, after 21 years in the role.
While David will be retiring from full-time work, he will stay on as a special adviser to the IFGL Board and plans to be the chairman of IFGL’s business in the DIFC in the UAE.
IFGL employs more than 520 staff across its two offices in Douglas and Castletown and is perhaps best known locally for its RL360, Friends Provident International and Ardan International brands.
“The Isle of Man is IFGL’s home,” said David. “We have always been proud to be based here and to be one of the island’s largest employers.”
David became CEO of what was then Scottish Life International in 2004 and together with sales director Simon Pack and MD Mike Crellin devised and implemented a strategy to grow the business organically, by opening up new markets and mergers and acquisitions.
Forward
“It was always my intention to step down once the dust had settled after the Cinven investment,” said David. “I’m now 68 and I don’t intend to still be CEO in 4 or 5 years. It’s the right time for a new CEO to take the business forward.”
News of David’s successor, who will be an external appointment from outside IFGL, will be announced in April.
“I am convinced my successor is an exceptional leader,” says David, who was involved in the recruitment process. “He has experience in The City and a good understanding of the adviser and international markets.”
The past 21 years have been the most extraordinary and momentous period of my working life. We have built a business that is 20 times the size it was in 2004. We are now a business of 7 different principal brands.
David Kneeshaw
David is looking forward to having more time with his family in retirement and “spending more time doing the things I enjoy, such as skiing, golf and cycling”
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