Howden has paid tribute to head of workers’ compensation Georgie Ahern, who died last month after a prolonged battle with melanoma.

“Georgie Ahern passed away in the company of her loving husband, Matt Bacon, and her family,” Howden Pacific chairman Andre Louw said on LinkedIn.

“Throughout her heroic battle, Georgie cared more for others than for herself. And she continued to lead our workers’ compensation team from strength to strength, notwithstanding her illness.

“She has enriched our lives and will remain forever in our hearts.” 

Ms Ahern held workers’ compensation roles at Marsh and JLT before joining Howden in 2021. She died on December 22. 

Howden says the melanoma rate in Australia and New Zealand is the world’s highest, and Melanoma Institute Australia notes there is a death every six hours due to the skin cancer, with someone diagnosed every 30 minutes.

“Thankfully, research by MIA is lifting melanoma survival rates significantly,” Howden said.

To support the institute’s work, the Howden Marlins team will participate in the 20km Rottnest Channel Swim on February 21. 

“Apart from raising funds for a very worthy cause, the swim will pay tribute to Georgie as someone who enriched our lives and recognise her own swimming prowess as a young woman,” the broker said.

Donations can be made via Howden or direct to the institute with a name provided for identification and “Swim for Georgie” in the reference.