Honesty, Integrity, Understanding and Service
Glynn Howell brings over two decades of insurance industry experience to Ag Guard, having held senior leadership roles across New Zealand’s insurance sector. Glynn’s career spans commercial broking, underwriting, and executive management, with a strong focus on supporting regional and rural communities.
Before joining Ag Guard as Country Head for New Zealand, Glynn spent 19 years at IAG, including key leadership roles at both Lumley and NZI. Glynn is known for building strong broker partnerships and delivering meaningful outcomes for clients. At Ag Guard, Glynn’s leadership is focused on aligning closely with the broker market and championing solutions that meet the evolving needs of New Zealand’s agricultural communities.
Glynn is an alumnus of Victoria University of Wellington and a Senior Associate of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance. Outside of insurance, Glynn is a former first-class cricketer, having represented Canterbury and Wellington as a wicketkeeper-batsman—experiences that have shaped Glynn’s team-first mindset and leadership style.
Based in Christchurch, Glynn is proud to contribute to the growth and sustainability of New Zealand’s agricultural sector and is excited to support Ag Guard’s mission of delivering innovative insurance solutions for rural communities.
Matthew brings over 30 years intermediated insurance experience to Ag Guard, spanning broking, underwriting and product management with extensive experience in primary sector underwriting. Matthew is particularly passionate about customer outcomes including enterprise risk management and dispute resolution having served on senior leadership teams in New Zealand and Australia.
Matthew also has a wealth of experience in developing underwriting rules for connected platforms and process improvement. Born and raised on the East Coast in Tairawhiti Gisborne and living in central Waikato, Matthew is a proud supporter of regional New Zealand and the agricultural sector.
April is a highly experienced insurance professional with over 20 years in the industry, specialising in underwriting across personal lines, commercial, and—most recently—the rural sector. For the past four years, she has focused exclusively on rural underwriting and account management at CPF, supporting our brokers and New Zealand’s agricultural community with tailored, practical insurance solutions.
In her role at Ag Guard, April will be working closely with our key partner NZI to deliver responsive cover for a wide range of farming operations. She has built strong broker relationships and combines technical expertise with a practical understanding of the challenges faced by New Zealand’s agricultural communities.
With nearly two decades of experience in the insurance industry, Sorcha Weston is a highly skilled and customer-focused underwriting professional. Currently serving as Business Development Manager at Ag Guard, Sorcha brings deep expertise in commercial insurance, broker relationship management, and strategic portfolio growth. Her career spans roles in rural & commercial underwriting, business development, and account management, with a strong track record of delivering results and fostering long-term partnerships.
Sorcha is known for her analytical acumen, technical proficiency, and commitment to excellence. Her hands-on experience working with brokers and clients across New Zealand’s rural sector has shaped her practical, relationship-driven approach, and is committed to delivering tailored insurance solutions that support the resilience and growth of rural businesses. Outside of work, Sorcha is a talented skier, keen horse rider, and proud mum of two.
Raised in Port Albert on a sheep and beef block, in a family that spent much of their time on horseback, Charlotte developed a deep connection to rural life early on. Although she began her career in insurance, her passion for agriculture led her to study the industry while working on a North Auckland dairy farm – a role she still considers one of the most rewarding in her career.
Returning to insurance offered Charlotte a new way to support rural communities. Over the last two decades, she has built a strong career across claims, sales, and leadership roles with respected names such as Vero, FMG, and NZI. This experience gives her a unique understanding of how insurance underpins rural success. From being on-farm and producing the goods to working with some of the country’s largest exporters of agricultural products, Charlotte understands the entire journey.
Charlotte is known for her positive, upbeat nature, proven work ethic, and strong moral compass, ensuring integrity and trust in every professional relationship. Outside of work, she is an avid angler who treasures time on the water with her family and dusting off the dirt bike when time allows.
Marnie brings more than a decade of experience with a leading direct rural insurer, supported by broader experience across the rural, domestic, and commercial insurance sectors. Highly analytical and detail‑focused, she is known for her integrity, strong work ethic, and commitment to delivering clear, reliable advice.
With hands‑on on‑farm experience across both the dairy and sheep & beef sectors, Marnie brings practical insight to every conversation. This enables her to genuinely understand farming operations and provide well‑considered rural insurance advice grounded in real‑world farming risk.
Adding further depth to her expertise, Marnie also spent 15 years working in the veterinary industry, primarily within the supply chain, as well as in on‑farm and trial environments. This background gives her a strong understanding of livestock health, biosecurity, and rural risk, allowing her to offer informed, practical guidance tailored to rural businesses.
Based in Palmerston North, Marnie supports brokers and rural clients across the North Island.
Natasha (Tash) brings more than 10 years’ experience across the insurance industry, including time spent with a leading direct rural insurer. Her background spans sales, claims, broking, and underwriting, with a strong focus on rural and commercial risks.
Having grown up in rural Mid Canterbury, Natasha has a genuine understanding of farming life and the pressures faced by rural businesses, both day-to-day and when things go wrong. Her claims experience, combined with extensive first‑hand farm visits, has given her clear insight into where exposures typically sit, how losses unfold, and the real‑world impact they can have on people, operations, and families.
This experience underpins her strong focus on risk mitigation and education. Natasha works closely alongside brokers to support informed farm‑gate conversations and help develop insurance structures that strengthen resilience and long‑term continuity for rural businesses.
Based in Timaru, Natasha is actively involved in her local netball club and is well known among friends and family as a talented platter specialist.
Rhiannon is an experienced agricultural insurance professional with over seven years in the industry. Ag Guard’s resident half Aussie/half Kiwi, originally from Sydney, she spent a decade in Palmerston North, New Zealand, living and supporting her family on her family’s dairy farm before returning to Sydney in 2022.
Throughout her career, Rhiannon has held diverse roles spanning sales, underwriting, technical underwriting management, product management, leadership, and process improvement. Her deep-rooted passion for not only Australia’s, but New Zealand’s, Rural community stems from both her agricultural background and strong ties to the dairy farming sector.
In her current role at Ag Guard, Rhiannon has responsibility for the technical underwriting and product management functions, ensuring innovative and effective insurance solutions for the Agricultural Insurance Industry.
Ag Guard was founded in 2013 by Alex Cohn who has been involved in the agricultural insurance markets since 2003. He has deep experience establishing and scaling successful agricultural underwriting agencies and insurance brokerages.
Alex saw through his exposure to the insurance broking market, an opportunity to deliver rural insurance products via smarter and more efficient technology platforms and in 2019 he partnered with Ben Ko and private equity partners BP Marsh to convert Ag Guard from a brokerage into a specialised underwriting agency vehicle.
Following a 5-year partnership with QBE and Elders Insurance in Australia from 2021 to 2026, Alex and Ben are now proud to work exclusively with leading insurer IAG in a trans-Tasman partnership to bring this technology and capability to service the group’s rural specialty via the intermediated brands in New Zealand & Australia.
Ben oversees the finance and operations of the business while providing actuarial support for Ag Guard’s product offerings.