Professional services consultancy Barnett Waddingham has appointed Rob Byett (pictured) as chief risk officer. In his new role, Byett will be based within BW, where he will lead its governance team, oversee the risk and compliance functions, and work across the Global Employee Benefits practice of Howden Employee Benefits.

With over 20 years’ industry experience, Byett has spent the last 11 years in risk and compliance at Hargreaves Lansdown, after serving as group compliance director at Jelf Group. Prior to that, he spent four years as a senior manager at Deloitte.

Byett said: “I’m thrilled to be taking on this role at such a pivotal moment in the integration between Barnett Waddingham and Howden Employee Benefits. The opportunity to bring together two strong risk and compliance cultures, tackle complex challenges and build a unified governance framework is incredibly exciting. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across both firms to drive our shared ambitions forward.”

Andrew Vaughan, senior partner at Barnett Waddingham, added: "Rob's appointment marks a significant milestone in our commitment to market-leading risk management and governance within BW and as part of Howden Employee Benefits. This new role is about strengthening how we work together, for the benefit of both our people and our clients.

Byett’s appointment follows the retirement of Zoe Smith, partner and head of governance at Barnett Waddingham.

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