Clive Cowdery

Born of Anglo Danish parentage{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/feb/28/clive-cowdery-goes-on-mission-to-help-poor|title = Insurance tycoon Clive Cowdery goes on a mission to help the working poor| newspaper=The Guardian |date = 28 February 2011| last1=Ramesh | first1=Randeep }} in Bristol, England, in 1963, he is the second of five siblings.{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/business/profile-clive-cowdery-class-act-who-worked-his-way-to-top-1-764997|title=Profile: Clive Cowdery: Class act who worked his way to top|date=14 August 2009|work=The Scotsman|accessdate=18 December 2017}} He was educated at Clevedon Comprehensive School (now Clevedon Community School), and earned three O-levels and no A-levels.

Cowdery is founder and executive chairman of Resolution Life, a global life insurance group focusing on the acquisition and management of portfolios of life insurance policies.{{Cite news|date=2018-10-18|title=Resolution's Cowdery has $2 bln life insurance deal in sight|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/resolution-strategy-idUKL8N1WR5L5|access-date=2022-02-23}}

From 1998 to 2003, Cowdery was chairman and chief executive of General Electric Insurance Holdings, with operations in 12 countries in Europe.{{Cite web|date=2005-06-10|title=The Interview: The insurance entrepreneur soon to be knocking at the FTSE 100's door|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/the-interview-the-insurance-entrepreneur-soon-to-be-knocking-at-the-ftse-100-s-door-225334.html|access-date=2022-02-22|website=The Independent|language=en}}

In 2003, Cowdery founded his private company Resolution, which invests in life insurance consolidation. Since then, Cowdery’s Resolution companies have deployed c. US$17 billion of equity in the acquisition, reinsurance, consolidation and management of life insurance companies. Together, these companies have served the needs of c. 13 million policyholders while managing over US$365 billion of assets.{{Cite web|title=About Us {{!}} Resolution Life|url=https://www.resolutionlife.com/about-us/|access-date=2022-02-22|website=www.resolutionlife.com}}

His first Resolution vehicle consolidated four major UK closed life insurance companies from Royal Sun Alliance, Swiss Life, Britannic and Santander (Abbey National Life).{{Cite news|title=The rise of Resolution|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/the-rise-of-resolution-d78lbknf7h5|access-date=2022-02-22|issn=0140-0460}} The FTSE100 insurer was sold to Pearl Group in 2008.{{Cite news|last=Costello|first=Miles|title=Upstart Cowdery shows how it's done|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/upstart-cowdery-shows-how-its-done-0nc0vvhdqtz|access-date=2022-01-12|issn=0140-0460}}

His second Resolution vehicle merged FTSE100 insurer Friends Provident with AXA's UK life business and other assets. The company was sold to Aviva in 2015.{{Cite news|last=Costello|first=Miles|title=Friends Life agrees £5bn takeover by Aviva|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/friends-life-agrees-5bn-takeover-by-aviva-l5vf6dgxll6|access-date=2022-01-12|issn=0140-0460}}

These two completed projects made significant total returns for shareholders.{{Cite news|last1=Gray|first1=Alistair|last2=Oakley|first2=David|last3=Massoudi|first3=Arash|date=2014-12-02|title=Aviva agrees £5bn takeover of Friends Life|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/46260564-79f2-11e4-8958-00144feabdc0|access-date=2022-02-22}}{{Cite news|last=Guthrie|first=Jonathan|date=2014-12-02|title=Work to do before Aviva investors welcome Friends|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/6fcaa550-7a0b-11e4-8958-00144feabdc0|access-date=2022-02-22}}{{Cite web|date=2009-08-13|title=Interview {{!}} Clive Cowdery|url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/aug/13/clive-cowdery-resolution-interview|access-date=2022-02-22|website=the Guardian|language=en}}

His current business, Resolution Life, was founded in 2018 and today manages c.$90 billion of assets, employs c. 1,800 people and provide services to over 3m policyholders. It has operations in Bermuda, the U.K., the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, all focused on assisting the restructuring of the primary life insurance industry globally.{{Cite web|last=Artemis.bm|first=Steven Evans-|date=2021-05-14|title=Cowdery's Resolution raises $1.6bn for legacy life insurance investments - Artemis.bm|url=https://www.artemis.bm/news/cowderys-resolution-raises-1-6bn-for-legacy-life-insurance-investments/|access-date=2022-02-22|website=Artemis.bm - The Catastrophe Bond, Insurance Linked Securities & Investment, Reinsurance Capital, Alternative Risk Transfer and Weather Risk Management site|language=English}}

According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019 his net worth was estimated at £137 million.{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=The Sunday Times Rich List 2019|website=The Sunday Times|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/sunday-times-rich-list-2019-profiles-864-900-rory-mcilroy-phil-collins-john-deacon-vlps2cp9p|access-date=}}

In April 2025, Cowdery acquired an equity stake in The Observer and joined the media outlet's board.{{Cite web |last=Cahill |first=Helen |date=2025-04-25 |title=Insurance tycoon Clive Cowdery takes stake in The Observer |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/insurance-tycoon-clive-cowdery-takes-stake-in-the-observer-jjtt5pkqd |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}} His equity stake follows the sale of the newspaper to Tortoise Media in December 2024.

Since formation of his Resolution vehicles Cowdery has devoted half of all proceeds to charity.{{Cite news|last=Neville|first=Sarah|date=2015-04-30|title=Clive Cowdery donates £50m to research living standards|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/3abfe1fc-eaab-11e4-96ec-00144feab7de|access-date=2022-02-25}} The Resolution Foundation, an independent social and economic research organisation set up by Cowdery in 2005, purports to be one of Britain's leading authorities on low earners{{Cite web|title=Our mission • Resolution Foundation|url=https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/about-us/mission/|access-date=2022-02-23|language=en-US}} and the policy responses required to lift their living standards.{{Cite web|date=2011-02-28|title=Insurance tycoon Clive Cowdery goes on a mission to help the working poor|url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/feb/28/clive-cowdery-goes-on-mission-to-help-poor|access-date=2022-02-22|website=the Guardian|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Neville|first=Sarah|date=2015-04-30|title=Clive Cowdery donates £50m to research living standards|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/3abfe1fc-eaab-11e4-96ec-00144feab7de|access-date=2022-02-22}}

Cowdery is owner and publisher of the magazine Prospect{{Cite web|title=Alan Rusbridger to be next editor of Prospect magazine|url=https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/alan-rusbridger-to-be-next-editor-of-prospect-magazine-18741|access-date=2022-02-22|website=www.inpublishing.co.uk|date=27 July 2021 }} and a member of the governing council of The Institute for New Economic Thinking. Until February 2021,{{cite web |title=Cessation|url=https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/FBDhNsgItlZ8Pkqwbxnfvesf7uCiB44hEFDIcqEz2q8/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3LIU4F32Y%2F20210211%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20210211T120808Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEMD%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJIMEYCIQDkTj10H%2BQ9NsOwfxXF6I5mjovM7jXwag8KkdFcdH8jlQIhAMcVonggKqwwbWrdQXmMooCuNF%2Bcqxz1hyRPI8cIS%2FcTKr0DCLn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQAxoMNDQ5MjI5MDMyODIyIgzG1G4XQng0i7Dd1fAqkQPQBiTjJHkDJA9bz8pWY5FJ0wx9m1Zf32szI2N2rvo8Icemab6f4pHDQ37rw%2FZERjRewFm192pUYCUT9tyopsIpsbsHc5LVknHJjX1A7RsKba3CUyzuO2LBfiH8tuUpqrNpUQfZhwzs8%2FCBRPPbbJ7ezrZHRUEx4oM%2FbTkh2Krh6JqM4g8R6CCcuwSvuf7nu31u%2FXwWrecxZaE0xg8RPPL3UK9Q1jDgZ9wtC8t9nRgdW75qG7xdYKPW333bZ3hwSTU5b1Cl5rHlCYKsFLBgaiYlxmFvOb5bKVMZu8%2B64wa3dRcP7uZy5DXk2wU3oTuI%2F102JUn4kJCRL7Cbj7f%2BnsxbW1AocAX%2Bnrtepa3kqbi54RaObEWXIiscenSfJcqBSHNiNqOSaaM3nBMWG7TYm0Yt0qXPho8HiFU2d6PQGbtFJ%2BKO3cPotkhNc1IDYwtJNxv5kso3WvHEmuOllXxJ3DT%2FEPsguCDNX9rbx98WgWmRACUXU%2Bl7MiHlwmVOWkAKIwRBL1W0aPDjXD0WCVmpi8OHMjCDwJOBBjrqAXxjIbpw%2B%2BYKk5S6CYz0W2nN7rq1P1hY0VcyLJKEWNBrU%2BP5JlZ5XNjJfTYIIKSfeMg5vx2XBeoZtPDm105m5MgmKoLsBLcIr4TdFpcc1MEzzA%2FXv%2FLsKV3mTsZokhD7tEMejNpJdO4bkF0zoULtuA2MOjgFHvaF6LIwyL156t5EPHBX4MsJOC6QPCNb4s3XWM8IikOGp%2BecYD5EOPRXMaKx8ppWaZDKP9TZRe2SoAbzeUQhgpyhCZUgtMv7kYa%2BRhGCQGKwG%2Fko8OqkbdEB0JrC83H3x%2Fu4Kl8MC%2FW%2B2M4rKLuFE4goMOcTuA%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=cc0531c2e11fac17804ead9af81277a2027fd827dd1f8143a45cf1c895d6ef9d |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=11 February 2021}} he was also a director of Best for Britain, a group campaigning to stop Brexit.{{Cite web|url=https://bestforbritain.org/|title=About Us|website=bestforbritain.org|access-date=20 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512121030/https://bestforbritain.org/|archive-date=12 May 2017|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10436078/officers|title=UK-EU OPEN POLICY LIMITED - Officers (free information from Companies House)|website=beta.companieshouse.gov.uk}}

Cowdery lives in London and has six children.

Cowdery was knighted in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to children and social mobility.{{London Gazette

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}}{{cite web |date=30 December 2015 |title=New Year's Honours 2016 list |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/489049/NY2016HonoursFullList.pdf |accessdate=30 December 2015 |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/jun/24/bradfordbingleybusiness.banking3?gusrc=rss&feed=business Profile] in The Guardian
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110612074633/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article534781.ece?print=no&randnum=1223548652540 Interview] from The Times
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130226235532/http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/us/Q-A/ Resolution Foundation]
• https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/feb/28/clive-cowdery-goes-on-mission-to-help-poor

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowdery, Clive}}

Category:1963 births

Category:Living people

Category:English businesspeople

Category:English philanthropists

Category:Knights Bachelor

Category:Businesspeople awarded knighthoods

Category:English people of Danish descent

Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) donors