Insurance brokerage Holmes Murphy announced today the hiring of Dave Ashton as chief information officer. Before joining Holmes Murphy, Ashton was the CEO of Principal Trust Co. for Principal Hong Kong, where he managed the overall leadership of the Principal Hong Kong group of companies. Earlier in his career, he was vice president and chief information officer for Principal International. In his new role, Ashton will be responsible for leading the IT team to implement and support technology that will help Holmes Murphy provide client service in a cost-effective way, the company said in a press release. He’ll also be a key member of the Holmes Murphy Enterprise Services Leadership Team and help identify opportunities to leverage technology not traditionally used in the insurance industry. “Dave is a strong collaborator and communicator with a passion for driving growth by leveraging modern technology and client insights,” said Dan Keough, chairman and CEO of Holmes Murphy. “Dave’s vast amount of experience will help change the trajectory of our company, and we are delighted to have him join the team.” Holmes Murphy is based in Waukee.