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CFC appoints Adam Winslow as Group Chief Executive Officer

Adam Winslow will help CFC to accelerate its strategy, strengthen market leadership and capitalise on the next phase of growth.

CFC Group News 2 min Tue, Jul 7, 2026

CFC, the specialist insurance provider, pioneer in emerging risk and market leader in cyber, today announces the appointment of Adam Winslow as Group Chief Executive Officer. Current Group CEO Louise O’Shea, who has served for nearly six years, first as Independent Non-Executive and latterly as CEO will be stepping down but will remain a significant shareholder in the business.

Prior to joining CFC, Winslow was Group CEO of Direct Line Group, where he improved profitability as well as led the company through its £3.7bn combination with Aviva, creating a major player in the UK insurance market. Before Direct Line Group, Winslow was CEO of Aviva’s UK and Ireland General Insurance business, where he accelerated growth and strengthened financial governance. His deep insurance expertise and strong execution focus will help CFC to accelerate its strategy, strengthen market leadership and capitalise on the next phase of growth.

Winslow succeeds Louise O’Shea, who stepped in at an important time for the business and under whose leadership the company has gone from strength to strength. O’Shea has built a world-class senior leadership team, enhanced and deepened CFC’s unique culture, implemented a scalable global operating model and delivered significant product innovation, all while achieving exceptional financial performance. Winslow’s appointment follows a rigorous succession process overseen by the Board and O’Shea and he will join the business during the summer subject to regulatory approval. In the interim, Andy Holmes, Group Capacity Director and a 23-year veteran of the business, will serve as acting CEO to facilitate a seamless transition.

John Howard, Chairman at CFC, said, "The appointment of Adam as CEO comes at an exciting time for CFC as it looks to further accelerate global growth while unlocking the significant potential of AI across its operations. Adam brings more than 20 years of leadership experience and a strong track record of delivering results in both public and private environments. On behalf of the Board and everyone in the business, I want to thank Louise for her significant contribution to CFC and the progress made under her leadership. I look forward to working with Adam to build on the momentum that Louise and the team have achieved."

CFC is one of the genuine success stories of the specialty market — a business with a distinctive model, an exceptional team and real momentum. That's what attracted me, and it's why I'm delighted to be joining. My thanks go to Louise for a warm handover and to John and the Board for the opportunity to lead CFC into its next phase of growth. I can't wait to get started. Adam Winslow, Group Chief Executive Officer

Louise O’Shea, CFC's outgoing CEO, said, "It has been an absolute privilege to work with the team and grow CFC into the incredible business it is today. I am particularly pleased to have significantly strengthened the foundations of the business while also improving its growth trajectory. My thanks go to all of the team at CFC who look after our customers, brokers and carriers, as well as each other, and make CFC a fantastic place to work. Adam is a great leader for CFC’s next phase of development and international expansion and I wish him and the whole team every success for the future."