Consolidators
Lockdown customer champion: Simon Mabb, NDML
Simon Mabb, managing director of NDML, tells Post about the broker's efforts to secure business interruption payouts for clients forced to close by coronavirus restrictions.
Interview: David Williams, Axa UK
After 41 years with the provider, managing director of underwriting and technical services David Williams is leaving Axa UK at the end of December. He spoke with Post about the timing of his departure, what comes next and reflected on his time in the…
BGL confirms Fenchurch appointment after report of approaches for insurance arm
BGL Group has confirmed the appointment of Fenchurch Advisory Partners as Sky News revealed the business was looking at offers for its insurance arm.
View from the Top video: Aston Lark group CEO Peter Blanc
In this exclusive interview recorded as part of the Insurance Post Live Annual Conference 2021 Peter Blanc, group CEO of Aston Lark, shares his thoughts on how recent trends have impacted insurance in the UK.
Partners&’s Stuart Reid on what the rapid pace of broker consolidation means for insurers
Stuart Reid, chair of Partners&, urges insurers to look for brokers that espouse the right values in their service to clients when considering which firms to support rather than being addicted to market share.
Record £10.5bn of M&A in 2020 and smaller deals on the up, says Imas
There was a record £10.5bn of UK insurance distribution mergers and acquisitions in 2020, according to research by Imas, Post can reveal.
Bollington buy a ‘super fit’, says Gallagher boss Michael Rea
Michael Rea, CEO of Gallagher’s UK retail division, has hailed the takeover of Bollington as supercharging the firm’s presence in the North West and adding specialisms to the group.
Miller to expand employee ownership after sale
The existing partners of Miller will be reinvesting into the business to keep a “substantial minority ownership” and targeting broader employee ownership as part of the deal that sees the firm switch hands from Willis Towers Watson to Cinven and GIC.
GRP’s Mike Bruce on broker M&A speeding up in Covid-hit UK
The level of broker consolidation has risen again this year, says GRP’s group CEO Mike Bruce as he predicts more investments to come from long-term investors with vendors keen to sell due to pandemic uncertainty, rumoured tax changes, strong valuations…
HG to own 20% of Hyperion as investment boosts ‘war chest’ to $1.5bn
When the transaction for HG to invest in Hyperion closes the private equity firm will hold “just over 20%” of the business, CEO David Howden told Post.
Clear buying Brokerbility a “huge step forward”, says CEO Lickens
Clear Group has bought Brokerbility Holdings including its broking, network and technology businesses for an undisclosed sum.
Broker gender pay gap wider than insurers' and static in 2019
The gender pay gaps of top insurance brokerages showed little movement in 2019, with the divide between the mean pay of men and women shrinking by 0.33% while the gap in median pay grew by 0.34%.
Interview: Partners&'s Barton & Reid
The easy answer to the question “when is a consolidator not a consolidator” is when nobody is being bought. Phil Barton and Stuart Reid spoke to Post senior reporter Emmanuel Kenning about their latest venture Partners&.
Barton plans to more than double Partners& headcount to hit five year £50m revenue target
Phil Barton, CEO of newly formed Partners&, has forecast that the business can grow from 140 staff and £65m in gross written premium to 350 people earning £50m of revenue within five years without further buys.
This Month: Best insurance employers to the fore
From November last year to January 2020 Post gave insurance employees the chance to nominate and rate their employers on topics ranging from management to diversity and work/life balance along with whether they would recommend the company to a friend.
Analysis: Broker M&A pace picks up again
Acquisitions in the UK distribution space rose 13% last year, according to research by Imas Corporate Finance. Post investigates what is driving the increase in consolidation and the challenges buyers are facing in their traditional hunting grounds
PE driving market consolidation but private ownership still dominates
Exclusive: Private equity houses and PE backed firms were behind more than 50% of UK insurance distribution mergers and acquisitions activity last year in the £5m plus category, Imas Corporate Finance has calculated.
M&A volume grows in 2019 but mid-sized targets scarce
Exclusive: The number of UK insurance distribution mergers and acquisitions rose from 82 in 2018 to 93 last year, driven by a surge in deals valued under £5m, industry specialists Imas Corporate Finance has revealed.
Innovu Group buys equestrian specialist Wexford Insurances in Ireland
Sheridan Insurances owner Innovu Group has bought Wexford Insurance Group in Ireland for an undisclosed sum.
Weald makes first acquisition since joining Ethos Broking
Weald Insurance, one of Ethos Broking’s ‘powerhouse’ hubs in the South East, has acquired Sussex-based Cronin Underwood.
Google powered products a 'no brainer': Applied Systems CEO
Applied Systems sees the UK as “research and development lab” for new technology and ideas following its success incorporating front end quote and buy into its Epic platform in the territory.
GRP explores option of partial sale
A partial sale of Global Risk Partners could be on the sale, as the consolidator and its private equity backer explore their options.
Aston Lark buys first Manchester broker
Aston Lark has bought Manchester-based commercial lines broker Buckland Harvester.
This week: Winners and lasers
Nothing says team building quite like stumbling around a dark maze, falling headfirst into mirrors and haphazardly shooting lasers at your colleagues. Or so the democratic vote we held a few weeks earlier decreed.