Howden alleged that he poached the rival insurance team in the UK suit

One of Britain’s biggest insurers is accused of using a team of “recruiting sergeants” to poach talent from a rival that led to mass redundancies in Brazil and London.

Aon UK Ltd. has sued Howden Group Holdings Ltd. in Britain, alleging it swept away a dozen employees, including some of Aon’s most senior employees, last year. Howden used the hiring of senior executives to lure other employees, obtain confidential information and later solicit Aon’s clients, according to Aon’s lawyers.

“Aon’s claim is that Howden UK’s recruitment operations in 2023 were highly unlawful,” they said in filings for a court hearing on Thursday. “Illegal recruitment has caused and will cause losses in London, Brazil and elsewhere.”

Howden’s lawyers asked a judge in London to stop or drop parts of the claim because the case relates to recruitment in Latin America, so it would have to be heard by Brazilian courts.

London courts have often played host to financial industry wrangles over staff poaching, reflecting the clamor for talent and competition to get ahead. Companies have gone to extreme lengths to protect against poaching and guard valuable business and customer information.

“The Howden Companies have a history of arranging illegal team moves,” Aon’s lawyers said in court filings.

Aon is seeking compensation for the losses and is also investigating another 2023 team move to Howden from its marine and construction team, its lawyer said.

Spokespeople for Aon and Howden did not immediately respond to emails seeking further comment. Howden has yet to enter a plea in the case, according to the court filing system.

Photo: People walk to Goldman Sachs in New York, US, Thursday, July 6, 2023. Photo credit: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

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