The Simplyhealth Group appoints Sonya Bryson as Simplyhealth Managing Director
Experienced insurance leader to drive growth, innovation and customer value across Simplyhealth.
Leading healthcare services and health cash plan provider, Simplyhealth, has appointed Sonya Bryson as Managing Director, subject to regulatory approval. Sonya will join the business on 19 August 2026, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience across the insurance sector.
As healthcare needs continue to evolve, Simplyhealth is committed to simplifying access to workplace healthcare by removing barriers and reducing costs, helping people to access the care they need when they need it. Specialising in workplace health and wellbeing, Simplyhealth delivers affordable, targeted care that tackles the main causes of absence – helping people stay healthy, in work, and recover faster if they do get sick.
Alongside its core offering, including 24/7 GP and mental health support, health cash plans and a range of pay-as-you-go services, from tests and scans to neurodiversity assessments, Simplyhealth continues to invest in its capabilities, products and customer experience to support future growth.
Removing barriers to healthcare, such as cost and complexity, is crucial to easing pressures on the national health system and helping more people to access the support they need. Improving access also encourages a more preventative approach to health, reducing the risk of conditions becoming more serious, limiting absence and boosting productivity.
Sonya joins The Simplyhealth Group with extensive experience leading large, regulated businesses and delivering transformational change. During her career, she has held multiple Managing Director roles with full profit and loss accountability, successfully driving growth, improving profitability, and leading complex operational and organisational transformation programmes.
Most recently, Sonya served as Managing Director at RSA Insurance Group, where she led a £1.5 billion commercial business. Prior to this, she held senior leadership roles at Direct Line Group and NIG.
During her time at Direct Line Group, Sonya played a significant role in embedding a more agile operating model to accelerate product development and support growth through multi-channel distribution. At NIG, she led the £400 million SME commercial business, delivering a significant profit improvement programme followed by sustained double-digit growth, while strengthening the organisation's product, distribution and operational capabilities.
Sonya's experience also includes leading large-scale integrations and organisational change programmes, building high-performing teams and fostering strong colleague engagement across complex organisations.
We are delighted to welcome Sonya to Simplyhealth. She brings a wealth of experience leading complex, regulated businesses, alongside a strong track record of delivering growth, transformation and customer-focused innovation.
As we continue to evolve Simplyhealth and strengthen the value we provide to customers and partners, Sonya's leadership will be instrumental in helping us deliver our long-term ambitions.
Paul Schreier, CEO at The Simplyhealth Group
I'm very excited to be joining The Simplyhealth Group at such an important point in its journey. The ambition to improve access to healthcare and the opportunity to shape the future of Simplyhealth is incredibly compelling. I'm looking forward to working with the team to build on the strong foundations in place and deliver meaningful outcomes for our customers and partners.
Sonya Bryson
Sonya's appointment follows the recent appointment of Nick Tait as Managing Director of Denplan, further strengthening The Simplyhealth Group's leadership team as it continues to drive growth, innovation and enhanced value for customers, partners and healthcare professionals.
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