Kennedy brings over two decades of experience in the protection market, most recently as protection director at LV=, and prior to that in senior roles at Royal London, Capita, MLC Life Insurance and Axa.

Baigrie started LifeSearch in 1998 and leads a 500 strong team that works with some of the UKs biggest financial services brands, including MoneySupermarket and Compare The Market. To date, LifeSearch has protected over 1 million lives in the UK and customers rate it 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

Kennedy said: “I’m honoured to be joining LifeSearch and can’t think of a more iconic Protection company to work with. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to help lead LifeSearch through its next stage of growth. I’m leaving an amazing team at LV, and I am immensely proud of the growth and transformation we have achieved. I will be cheering them on as they go from strength to strength.”

Baigrie added: “I am incredibly proud of the business that LifeSearch has become these last 20 years and I am delighted to have found a successor who will run this big business far better than I ever could. Debbie brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in managing complex and fast-growing businesses.

“Having been hugely impressive at LV and having led the team that utterly transformed Royal London from a dormant brand into a market leader. We are excited to say that Debbie will start work with us on the 1 of November.

“But worry not, I’m not going away just yet. My focus will concentrate more on partnerships, marketing, PR, improving our industry and seriously influencing our market to make it a better place for consumers and advisers.”