Marsh companies are also suing Howden US senior leadership and several former employees who left to join Howden. (Credit: Adobe Stock)
Marsh McLennan Agency has filed suit against a former employee who left for Howden earlier this year.
MMA alleges that Baxter Southern, the company’s former marine insurance leader, illegally took 36 clients, 17 employees and more than $4 million in business with him when he left. MMA says Southern breached non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements in his employment contract.
Southern joined MMA when it acquired McGriff in 2024. He led McGriff’s St. Louis and specialty marine teams and worked with Howden, which served as McGriff’s wholesale partner to place risks in London. MMA says Southern had meetings with Howden about joining when he visited the United Kingdom last June.
Southern resigned from MMA in July, and other members of his teams also quit and left for Howden.
The suit alleges that some of the former employees began to work for Howden from Southern’s basement, “ensuring Southern’s involvement and knowledge ot all aspect of their work.” It also says Southern had them reach out to MMA clients to bring them over to Howden.
The suit says MMA has lost more than $4 million in annual recurring revenue as a result, nearly half of its annually recurring revenue from the marine team.
Marsh companies are already suing the current CEO of Howden US, its senior leaders and several former employees for breach of contract.
The suit against Howden US leadership says the group “spearheaded an unlawful scheme to lift out all of Marsh’s Florida zone employees.” It says Howden poached Marsh employees after it failed to acquire Risk Strategies.
In one suit against former employees, Marsh says the employees solicited other employees to leave with them, printed or transferred trade secrets and confidential information, and solicited Marsh clients.
“Acting together, the defendants enabled Howden to enter the U.S. market overnight with a fully staffed workforce and book of business built on decades of Marsh investment and work,” Marsh said in the suit.
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