Penny James Explained

Penny James (born 1969) is a British businesswoman who was the chief executive of Direct Line Group from May 2019 to January 2023.^[1]

Career

James worked at Omega Insurance and Zürich before joining Prudential Plc, where her roles have included chief risk officer. She also served as a non-executive director of Admiral Group between 2015 and 2017.^[2]

In 2017, she left Prudential to join the Direct Line Group as chief financial officer. At the time, she was the only woman on the executive committee of DLG.^[3] In May 2019, James succeeded Paul Geddes as CEO of Direct Line Group.^[4] In January 2023, she stepped down and was succeeded by the chief commercial officer Jonathan Greenwood as acting chief executive.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Direct Line Insurance Group plc Penny James, DLG's Chief Financial Officer to succeed Paul Geddes as Chief Executive. Edwards. Charlotte. DirectorsTalk Interviews. en-GB. 2020-04-16.
2. Web site: UK insurer Direct Line appoints Penny James as chief. Ralph. Oliver. 26 February 2019. Financial Times. 18 April 2021.
3. Web site: The HERoes top 100 women role model executives 2020. 23 September 2020. Yahoo Finance UK. 18 April 2021.
4. News: Gangcuangco . Terry . Direct Line Group names interim CFO as Penny James takes on top post . 17 August 2019 . Insurance Business . 10 May 2019.
5. Web site: Oliver. Ralph. Ian. Smith. London. Direct Line chief executive steps down after profit warnings. 27 January 2023. Financial Times. https://archive.today/20230127084443/https://www.ft.com/content/96c89852-b70b-400b-adad-ab2616dcd142. 27 January 2023. live. subscription. 28 January 2023.