Tag Archives: Insurance

Cinven and GIC to acquire specialist insurance broker Miller

Cinven

Cinven, the international private equity firm, and GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, today announce that they have reached an agreement to acquire leading specialist insurance and (re)insurance broker, Miller, from its partners and corporate member, Willis Towers Watson (“WTW”). Financial details of the transaction are not disclosed.

Founded in 1902, Miller is a leading specialist insurance and (re)insurance broker operating in the UK, Lloyd’s and internationally. It employs more than 640 people through its offices in London, Ipswich, Brussels, Paris, Singapore and Geneva, covering the world’s major insurance hubs. Miller operates across a number of specialist areas, including marine, energy, credit and political risks, delegated authorities, professional risks, property, casualty, sports and entertainment and (re)insurance. Headquartered in London, it places c. £2 billion worth of premiums annually.

Cinven and GIC believe Miller is an attractive investment opportunity based on:

  • The high-quality, cash generative business model, with strong brand equity and an attractive, recurring revenue base;
  • Its strong position in the wholesale insurance markets with a long-standing client base, strong management team and deep bench of talent with significant expertise across its specialist areas;
  • Its proven track record of steady and consistent growth in recent years, delivering robust performance through the COVID-19 pandemic and prior downturns;
  • The business has an opportunity to benefit significantly from independent ownership, given the ability to accelerate its long-term growth profile through a combination of organic growth in a specialist sector, ambitious plans to recruit new specialist brokers and execute selective incremental bolt-on M&A over time; and
  • The underlying insurance market is forecast to continue growing in line with GDP, with potential additional upside for specialty insurers, further supported by short-term rate hardening.

Cinven Funds’ previous investments in the European insurance sector include Guardian Financial Services in the UK, Eurovita in Italy, and Viridium in Germany. Other UK-headquartered financial services investments by the Cinven Funds include Partnership Assurance, NewDay and Premium Credit. GIC has invested in companies such as Rothesay and RAC in the UK, Mass Mutual Asia in Hong Kong, and China Pacific Insurance group in China.

The Miller transaction represents the first investment from Cinven’s new financial services sector-focused strategy, which will be looking at similar long-term opportunities across Europe.

Luigi Sbrozzi, Partner of Cinven, commented:

“Cinven is delighted to be making this investment in Miller alongside GIC. Miller is a highly attractive, resilient specialist insurance business with strong long-term growth opportunities across all of its segments and a history of consistent growth through various economic cycles. We see opportunities both organically, by recruiting new specialist brokers, and through incremental M&A over time. Miller also offers a scalable platform, particularly internationally, with associated benefits for clients as the business develops and expands over the long-term. We believe that independent ownership is the right model to really accelerate the company’s growth.”

Yong Cheen Choo, Chief Investment Officer of Private Equity, GIC, said:

“Miller is one of the top and most established wholesale brokers with highly respected franchises in areas such as marine & energy, sports & entertainment, and cargo. We are pleased to partner with Cinven and look forward to supporting Greg Collins and his team to seize future expansion opportunities for Miller. As a long-term investor, we are confident in the growth potential of the specialty insurance sector, and of Miller within it.”  

Greg Collins, CEO, Miller, added:

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Cinven and GIC, whose knowledge and insurance investment expertise will enormously support our business as we enter this important next phase of growth. We are excited about bringing together our combined expertise to bolster our best in class client service and solutions and strengthen Miller’s position in our core activities. This includes making incremental targeted, strategic investments as we look to realise our ambition of becoming the leading independent specialist (re)insurance broking firm. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank WTW for their support over the last five years.”

The transaction is expected to complete in Q1 2021 and is subject to regulatory approval.

Cinven and GIC advisors included: Barclays (M&A); Clifford Chance (Legal); Bain (Commercial); PwC (Financial, Operations, IT); Deloitte (Tax, Structuring); Marsh (Insurance) and FTI Consulting (Communications).

Advisors to the sellers included: Goldman Sachs International (Financial Advisor to WTW); Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and Addleshaw Goddard LLP (Legal) and Jamieson Corporate Finance LLP (Financial Advisor to Miller’s Partners).

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Active Assurances strengthens its health division with the acquisition of the portfolio of Cabinet Wilhelm SA

Activa Capital

One year after the acquisition of AFI Assurances, Active Assurances, the specialist digital insurance broker, is pursuing its development strategy and announces the acquisition of the healthcare insurance portfolio of Cabinet WILHELM SA. This transaction enables the Group to accelerate its development in the healthcare market.

Cabinet WILHELM is a French broker based in Lons (Southwestern France), specialised in the digital selling of health, accident and life insurance products to B2C customers.

The Company was created and managed by its founder, Gilbert Wilhelm, and developed with the support of its main shareholder, the Swiss Life Group. The firm was a pioneer in the distribution of health insurance policies via the internet and quickly built up a strong reputation and recognized know-how in this field.

With this operation, Frédéric Bacmann, Chief Executive Officer and founder of AFI Assurances, consolidates the Group’s healthcare portfolio by exceeding 35,000 policies in its portfolio.

This operation is financed by equity from Active Assurances, backed by Activa Capital, BPIfrance and Idinvest Partners. This operation underlines once more Activa Capital’s ability to support entrepreurial managers in the transformation of growing SMEs and the structuring of external growth operations.

Thomas Riottot, Co-founder of Active Assurances Groupe, declared: « We are delighted with this operation, which will strengthen AFI Assurances’ development in its market. We remain on the lookout for other build-ups operations that will enable us to accelerate our develpment. »

Frédéric Bacmann, Founding Director of AFI Assurances, stated: « With this operation, we are integrating new sales staff motivated by the Group’s development project and by our know-how in the distance selling of health insurance policies. »

Participants

Buyers
Active Assurances Groupe : Didier Naccache, Thomas Riottot, Denis Salmoiraghi, Frédéric Bacmann, Nolwenn Oreal
Activa Capital : Alexandre Masson, David Quatrepoint, Timothée Héron
Lawyers : Jean-Baptiste Le Jariel – FORTEM Avocats

Vendors
Gilbert Wilhelm, Founder
Lawyers : Xavier Perinne – AFFINA Legal

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Hg agrees the sale of Eucon to VHV Group

HG Capital

Münster, Germany and London, United Kingdom – 6 November 2020: Hg, Europe’s leading software investor, today announces that it has agreed the sale of Eucon Group to VHV Group, a leading German insurance group. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary anti-trust approvals and closing is expected later this year.

Eucon is a leading provider of best-in-class information and data-based systems for efficient product management in the automotive aftermarket. Customers include car manufacturers and suppliers, as well as a variety of workshop chains. For insurers, Eucon digitalises claims management and is one of the sector leaders for digital platform solutions for data and document processing. In addition, Eucon offers digital solutions for the real estate industry for efficient and transparent invoice management.

“Together with Hg, we have written a great success story over the last five years. We would like to thank Benedikt Joeris and his team for their partnership and trusting cooperation. We have been successfully cooperating with the VHV Group for some time now and therefore could not have hoped for a better new investor. By providing platform solutions, we help our customers tap the digital potential of their industry and ensure sustainable access to the key technologies they require. With VHV as a robust, powerful and innovative partner, we can achieve this goal even more effectively and ensure that this open platform strategy is available to our customers for the long term.”

Sven Krüger, CEO of the Eucon Group

“It has been a real privilege to work with Sven, the founders and entire team at Eucon. Today we part ways after five very productive years of working together. Eucon’s business sits at the intersection of two growth drivers in which Hg has built substantial experience: the value of big data in the automotive sector and the increasing digitalisation of the insurance and real estate industry – and together we have built a great business in these areas. We are delighted that the team will be able to continue this journey with VHV, a true leader in insurance across Germany. We’re also pleased to see the strength of our networks and our track record continue to drive value in small and medium enterprises across Germany.”

Benedikt Joeris, Director at Hg

“Eucon can look back on a very successful few years of development alongside Hg. Our collaboration has been very valuable to the business and we enjoyed working closely together. We look forward to continuing Eucon’s growth with VHV.”

The founders of Eucon Group, Maurice and Marcel Oosenbrugh

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New Mountain Sells Majority Stake in OneDigital to Onex

Nmc

Investment Values Leading Employee Benefits and Retirement Advisor at $2.65 Billion and Positions OneDigital for Continued Rapid Growth

New York, NY – October 8, 2020 – New Mountain Capital (“New Mountain”) today announced it has agreed to sell a majority stake in OneDigital, a leading U.S. provider of employee benefits insurance brokerage and retirement consulting services, to Onex Corporation (“Onex”) (TSX: ONEX) and its affiliated funds (the “Onex Group”). New Mountain and OneDigital employees will roll a significant portion of their existing investments into the transaction. Founded in 2000, OneDigital is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and has more than 2,000 employees in over 100 offices across the United States.

“OneDigital has established a leading national insurance brokerage and a customer- and employee-centric culture which drives business performance,” said Todd Clegg, an Onex Managing Director. “The company has a very impressive management team led by Adam Bruckman and is well positioned to grow both organically and by continuing its track record of successful acquisitions. We are thrilled to partner with Adam, the rest of the OneDigital team and New Mountain.”

“Our world-class employees and investment in holistic health, wealth and HR solutions have allowed us to continually grow our market position by providing our clients with a level of value that is unparalleled in the market,” commented Mr. Bruckman, President and Chief Executive Officer of OneDigital. “We look forward to our next phase of growth in partnership with Onex and New Mountain.”

“OneDigital’s more than four-fold growth in enterprise value since 2017 demonstrates New Mountain’s commitment to partnership and business-building through organic growth and acquisitions. With the support of Onex, who has deep industry expertise and an aligned long-term investment philosophy, we expect the company to have similar successes going forward,” said Robert Mulcare, Managing Director of New Mountain.

The transaction values OneDigital at $2.65 billion. The new equity investment of approximately $960 million will be made by the Onex Group, including Onex Partners V. Upon closing, the Onex Group and employees of OneDigital will own approximately 83% of the company. The transaction is anticipated to close by the end of 2020 subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

About New Mountain Capital

New Mountain Capital is a New York-based investment firm that emphasizes business building and growth, rather than debt, as it pursues long-term capital appreciation. The firm currently manages private equity, public equity, and credit funds with over $25 billion in assets under management. New Mountain seeks out what it believes to be the highest quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies. For more information on New Mountain Capital, please visit www.newmountaincapital.com.

About Onex

Founded in 1984, Onex invests and manages capital on behalf of its shareholders, institutional investors and high net worth clients from around the world. Onex’ platforms include: Onex Partners, private equity funds focused on larger opportunities in North America and Europe; ONCAP, private equity funds focused on middle market and smaller opportunities in North America; Onex Credit, which manages primarily non-investment grade debt through collateralized loan obligations, senior loan strategies and other private credit strategies; and Gluskin Sheff’s wealth management services including its actively managed public equity and public credit funds. In total, Onex has approximately $35.6 billion of assets under management, of which approximately $6.6 billion is its own shareholder capital. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey and London, Onex and its experienced management teams are collectively the largest investors across Onex’ platforms.

The Onex Partners and ONCAP businesses have assets of $45 billion, generate annual revenues of $25 billion and employ approximately 165,000 people worldwide. Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONEX. For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com.  Onex’ security filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com.

About OneDigital

OneDigital is the leading strategic advisory firm in the U.S. and has consistently led from the front as a workplace ally for 20 years. OneDigital’s unique ability to converge health, wealth and human resources into a hub of services and business guidance has empowered companies to create workplaces that attract and retain talent while fueling innovation and company growth. As employee healthcare, wellness and workplace benefits continue to shift, companies of all sizes have relied on OneDigital’s exceptional advisory teams for counsel and its adjacent services, including employee benefits, holistic HR services, retirement and wealth management, employee wellbeing and pharmacy consulting. Headquartered in Atlanta, OneDigital’s more than 100 offices and 2,000 business strategists serve the needs of over 50,000 employers across the United States.

OneDigital has been named to the Inc. 5000 List of America’s fastest-growing companies every year since 2007, one of only 12 companies to do so. Currently listed as 18th on Business Insurance’s list of 100 Largest U.S. Brokers, OneDigital’s deep analytic abilities and experienced advisors deliver insights that reduce business risk and improve plan design and performance. For more information, visit www.onedigital.com.

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IK Investment Partners to acquire You Sure

ik-investment-partners

IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap II Fund has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in You Sure Investments B.V. (“You Sure” or “the Company”) from Synergia Capital Partners (“Synergia”). The transaction is subject to AFM clearance. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

You Sure is a leading Dutch insurance distribution platform, providing insurance to small businesses and individuals. Operating mainly in the Property and Casualty (“P&C”) segment, You Sure acts both as an insurance broker and a Managing General Agent (“MGA”), and currently serves over 60,000 customers.

Headquartered in Ridderkerk, You Sure employs over 130 people across seven offices in the Netherlands. The Company was founded in 2011 by Ger Knikman and Joep van den Eijkel, who have been active in the insurance industry for over 30 and 40 years, respectively, and have worked together since 2005. You Sure partnered with Synergia in March 2019 and following the sale to IK, the co-founders will be reinvesting in the business to support further growth.

The Company has significantly expanded its footprint over the last nine years through strategic acquisitions, a strong customer focus and its effective IT platform. To date, 35 insurance portfolios have been acquired and integrated into You Sure’s proprietary platform, which the Company plans to continue with IK’s support.

The transaction represents the 11th investment from IK’s €550 million Small Cap II Fund.

Ger Knikman, CEO of You Sure commented: “We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Synergia, and with their support we have achieved our three-year plan in just 18 months. As we embark on the next stage of our growth, we are delighted to partner with IK. With their established presence in the Netherlands and track record of delivering long-term value, we look forward to proceeding with our strategic pipeline of acquisitions while delivering strong organic growth.”

Sander van Vreumingen, Partner at IK and advisor to the IK Small Cap II Fund, said: “You Sure is a strong insurance platform that has shown impressive growth under the leadership of Ger and Joep. We are attracted by the Company’s focus on quality and customers’ relationships driven by its proprietary digital platform. With the sector about to embark on a phase of consolidation, we are excited to partner with You Sure and help the business grow further and deliver even more for its customers.”

Leo Schenk, Managing Director at Synergia, commented: “We have had a fantastic journey with You Sure over the last 18 months and sincerely enjoyed working with Ger, Joep and the team. With a strong platform, ambitious growth strategy and their knowledge of the insurance business, they have a strong future ahead of them with IK.”

For further questions, please contact: 

Maitland/AMO
James McFarlane
T: +44 (0) 20 7379 5151
jmcfarlane@maitland.co.uk 

IK Investment Partners
Nastasja Vojvodic
T: +44 (0) 20 7304 4300
nastasja.vojvodic@ikinvest.com

About IK Investment Partners

IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is a Pan-European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €13 billion of capital and invested in over 135 European companies. IK supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects. For more information, visit www.ikinvest.com

About IK Small Cap II

The €550 million IK Small Cap II Fund (“IK Small Cap II” or “the Fund”) closed in 2018 and invests in growing businesses across IK’s four core sectors: Business Services, Consumer/Food, Engineered Products and Healthcare. Dedicated investment teams in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg, London, Paris and Stockholm look to support businesses with an Enterprise Value of between c. €30 million and c. €100 million across the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. For more information, visit www.ikinvest.com/IK-Funds/ik-small-cap-ii-fund

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Aquiline Capital Partners To Lead The Merger Of CodeBlue And MADSKY

Aquila Capital

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Aquiline Capital Partners today announced the signing of definitive agreements in which it will merge Insurance Claims Management, Inc., which operates under the CodeBlue brand, and FV Holdings, LLC dba MADSKY Managed Repair Program (MADSKY). The combination will bring together two industry-leading providers, offering a unique and unified interior and exterior emergency services and direct repair capability. Hunter Powell, currently CEO of MADSKY, will become CEO of the combined business.

CodeBlue is a rapidly growing provider of property claims outsourcing solutions for the insurance industry, using proven science and industry-leading technology to generate superior service and cost outcomes. The company was founded by Paul Gross with the introduction of a revolutionary water damage mitigation solution. It has since expanded to provide a “whole home” set of property claims outsourcing solutions, including First Notice of Loss, Water Mitigation, Direct Property Repair, Desk Repair and Contents Valuation for a multitude of insurance companies.

MADSKY is revolutionizing the handling of roofing and exterior restoration needs in the insurance claims and broader property management space. MADSKY combines a claims concierge service with a network of vetted and highly qualified contractors. The firm offers a revolutionary program that simplifies the property restoration process and helps homeowners get back to their lives faster than ever before. In addition, leveraging its strong base of experienced roofing professionals, MADSKY offers several proprietary expert services aimed at aligning claim outcomes across stakeholders and decreasing loss severity.

“Both CodeBlue and MADSKY utilize technology-enabled claims delivery models that benefit insureds, insurance carriers and contractors,” stated Jeff Greenberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aquiline Capital Partners. “We are excited to back Hunter, Paul and the combined leadership team as they further their market leadership in water mitigation and roofing while also entering compelling new areas where we will provide expertise and capital to support their growth.”

“Combining CodeBlue and MADSKY brings together the leaders in managing interior and exterior damage assessment and repair. The combined entity will offer unique, value-added and mutually beneficial solutions to insurance carriers, property managers and individual property owners,” said Hunter Powell. “Both firms share a purpose-driven ethos and a people-centric mentality, and together will bring unmatched focus and capabilities to delivering industry-leading services that blend results and performance with care and compassion. It is an incredible privilege to lead this organization.”

“Aquiline Capital Partners has tremendous expertise in insurance, insurance claims outsourcing and financial technology,” said Paul Gross. “Together we will continue to expand our property claim solutions offerings, extend the combined company’s technology platform and market leadership position and develop deeper carrier partnerships.”

About Insurance Claims Management (ICM) Headquartered in Springfield, Ohio with additional offices in Hudson, Ohio and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, ICM, operating under the CodeBlue brand, provides independent First Notice of Loss, Water Mitigation, Direct Repair, Desk Repair and Contents Valuation outsourcing solutions to insurance carriers throughout the United States and Canada. Leveraging proprietary technology during FNOL, CodeBlue captures live videos created by policyholders and contractors get the claim assessed, initiated, approved, and finished more quickly while reducing traditional expense. The platform facilitates CodeBlue contractor management and facilitates communication and business processes for insurance carriers, ICM, network service providers and policyholders. For more information, visit www.codeblue360.com.

About MADSKY

MADSKY is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado and provides insurance carriers and homeowners with the largest network of skilled trade professionals across the U.S. to repair roof and exterior damage following a hail or wind event. MADSKY is the trusted, go-to partner for managing the entire roof restoration process. MADSKY’s network of skilled roofing contractors, general contractors, independent adjusters, suppliers, manufacturers, and more are responsible for doing the restoration work. Learn more at www.MADSKYmrp.com.

About Aquiline Capital Partners

Aquiline Capital Partners, founded in 2005, is a private investment firm based in New York and London investing in businesses across the financial services sector in financial technology, insurance, investment management, business services, credit and healthcare. The firm has $5.3 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2019. For more information about Aquiline, its investment professionals, and its portfolio companies, please visit: www.aquiline.com.

 

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Hg invests in Hyperion in a transaction valued at $5 billion

HG Capital

Transaction and debt raise will provide up to $1.5bn to accelerate strategic growth and Hyperion’s focus on technology and data

Hg, a leading European investor in software and tech-enabled services businesses, today announces that it will make a significant long-term equity investment in Hyperion Insurance Group Limited (“Hyperion”), the international insurance intermediary.  The transaction values the business at an enterprise value of around US$5 billion. In conjunction with an additional debt raise and existing resources, the investment will provide Hyperion with up to $1.5bn to accelerate its growth with both selective acquisitions and investments in data and technology.

Hg will join Hyperion as an aligned, long-term, growth partner alongside General Atlantic, which invested in Hyperion in 2013, and CDPQ, which invested in Hyperion in 2018.  Both General Atlantic and CDPQ remain committed to being partners of Hyperion alongside Hg.  The Hyperion management team and employees will remain the largest shareholder group in the company, with more than 1,000 individuals now owning shares. The transaction establishes a sustainable, long-term capital model with core employee ownership supported by collaborative investment partners, enabling Hyperion to build out Howden as a leading international challenger broker and DUAL as an international specialist MGA.

The full terms of the transaction are not disclosed and closing is subject to obtaining relevant regulatory approvals.

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in London, Hyperion is a leading international insurance distribution group. Through its core activities of retail, speciality & reinsurance broking and through DUAL, one of the world’s leading international MGAs, it facilitates the provision of B2B insurance across a wide geographic footprint. The Group operates across 200+ global offices in 40 countries and employs c.6,000 people to manage c. $9.0 billion of Gross Written Premium (“GWP”) on behalf of its clients.   It is the 5th largest employee-owned business in the UK and has a differentiated position as a leading international insurance intermediary.

The investment continues Hg’s focus on insurance distribution and insuretech. Hyperion will represent Hg’s sixth investment in the wider sector over the last 5 years – with these businesses together totalling over $1 billion of invested client capital.

Hyperion’s broking arm, Howden, recently announced it had reached agreement to acquire A-Plan Group from Hg. Hg helped to drive a focus on embedding data and technology in A-Plan Group’s best-in-class service model over its investment period.  This experience in technology will also benefit Hyperion X, the Group’s digital, data and analytics business.

“I am thrilled to welcome Hg as a long-term partner. During our conversations on A-Plan Group it was clear that Hg and Hyperion share an understanding of what building a business to last means for employees and clients.  This, the quality of the Hg team, their support for our core employee ownership and our culture of empowerment, and the desire of the Hg partners to contribute to our digital and data strategy, makes them an excellent partner to join General Atlantic and CDPQ as we continue our journey.”

David Howden, Chief Executive Officer of Hyperion

“It is a privilege for Hg to back David and his fantastic team through this investment in Hyperion. The company is a unique and special business, driven by its outstanding culture and quality of talent, and it has a significant growth opportunity across the global insurance sector in the coming years.  We got to know David during the recent sale by Hg of A-Plan Group to Hyperion, and it became clear that our long-term investment approach and specialism in technology were a great match for him and his team. In addition to providing capital, Hg’s deep knowledge of software and data will help Hyperion stay at the forefront of technology adoption across the insurance sector.”

Andrew Land, Partner at Hg

“This long-term investment in Hyperion reflects Hg Saturn’s strategy of backing entrepreneur-led growth businesses in software and tech-enabled services that are sector champions. In Saturn’s recent investments in Visma, P&I, Argus Media, Sovos and now Hyperion, we developed a trusted relationship with the founder or CEO over a long period, enabling us to offer them the investment structure they needed to meet their long-term plans. David and his team have built one of the global leaders in insurance distribution and we are excited in supporting them for many years to come.”

Nic Humphries, Senior Partner at Hg

“I am delighted that Hg have chosen to become a partner alongside General Atlantic and CDPQ.  It is a privilege to work with three partners who embrace our core ambition to build a sustainable and successful business, and who will help us to deliver on our strategy over the coming years at this very exciting time in the industry.  The Hg team bring not only significant capital, but also considerable expertise and I look forward to welcoming them to the Board.”

Dominic Collins, Chairman of Hyperion

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Hg announces the sale of A-Plan Group

HG Capital

Hg announces the sale of A-Plan Group (“APG”), one of the UK’s largest specialist insurance intermediaries, to Howden, the international insurance broking group. The terms of the transaction are not disclosed and the acquisition remains subject to regulatory approval.

Hg partnered with APG in 2015, recognising the business’ best-in-class customer success model – a personal, service-oriented approach, leading to very high levels of customer satisfaction alongside strong organic growth.  Since then Hg has worked with management to transform APG from a predominantly branch-based, personal lines insurance broker, to a business with a national footprint across multiple lines of business, supported by industry-leading data and analytics capabilities.

APG has more than doubled its revenues under Hg’s ownership and now has 1.3 million policies compared with 600,000 at acquisition. Renewal rates are strong and NPS scores remain exceptionally high and are supported by excellent customer service. APG has also implemented a new cloud IT broking platform, achieving efficiencies and providing data insights to drive new business growth and improve customer retention. APG has also undertaken a significant M&A programme which has led to a more diverse and scaled position in the UK insurance market. Investment in talent across APG’s key functions and broad equity ownership across APG’s employee base has also been a key driver for growth.

“We would like to thank Carl and the team for the great partnership and exceptional performance over the last 5 years.  The company has delivered excellent organic growth, whilst also executing 56 accretive M&A transactions and building an MGA capability.

Using our technology expertise, Hg has also worked with management to put software and data at the heart of the business which has greatly improved efficiency and performance.  The team’s biggest achievement, however, has been to maintain A-Plan’s strong culture, which has been responsible for its industry-leading customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as its trusted insurer relationships throughout this period of rapid change.”

Thorsten Toepfer, Partner at Hg

“We have had a great journey with Hg, together building on a long-term track record of sustainable growth that we are very proud of. Today we employ over 2,000 staff, a number which has almost doubled during Hg’s investment.

We are delighted by the prospect of working with Howden; it’s a business that is so evidently aligned with us on the central importance of looking after its people, clients and insurers but will also support us in M&A as we deliver on Howden’s ambition for UK regional insurance distribution.”

Carl Shuker, CEO of A-Plan Group

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Active Assurances strengthens its health division with the acquisition of the portfolio of Cabinet Wilhelm SA

Activa Capital

One year afterthe acquisition of AFI Assurances, Active Assurances, the specialist digital insurance broker, is pursuing its development strategy and announces the acquisition of the healthcare insurance portfolio of Cabinet WILHELM SA. This transaction enables the Group to accelerate its development in the healthcare market.

Cabinet WILHELM is a French broker based in Lons (Southwestern France), specialised in the digital sellingof health, accident and life insurance products to B2C customers. The Company was created and managed by its founder, Gilbert Wilhelm, and developed with the support of its main shareholder, the Swiss Life Group. The firm was a pioneer in the distribution of health insurance policiesvia the internet and quickly built up a strong reputation and recognized know-how in this field.

With this operation, Frédéric Bacmann, Chief Executive Officer and founder of AFI Assurances, consolidates the Group’s healthcare portfolio by exceeding 35,000 policies in its portfolio. This operation is financed byequity from Active Assurances,backed by Activa Capital, BPIfrance and Idinvest Partners.

This operation underlines once more Activa Capital’s ability to support entrepreurial managers in the transformation of growing SMEs and the structuring of external growth operations.

Thomas Riottot, Co-founder of Active Assurances Groupe,declared: «We are delighted with this operation, which will strengthen AFI Assurances’ development in its market. We remain on the lookout for other build-ups operationsthat will enable us to accelerate our develpment. »

Frédéric Bacmann, Founding Director of AFI Assurances,stated: «With this operation, we are integrating new sales staff motivated by the Group’s development project and by our know-how in the distance selling of health insurance policies. »

Participants

Buyers

Active Assurances Groupe :Didier Naccache, Thomas Riottot, Denis Salmoiraghi, Frédéric Bacmann, Nolwenn OrealActiva Capital : Alexandre Masson, David Quatrepoint, Timothée HéronLawyers: Jean-Baptiste LeJariel–FORTEM Avocats

Vendors

Gilbert Wilhelm, FounderLawyers: Xavier Perinne–AFFINA Legal

About Active Assurances
Active Assurances is an insurance broker specialised in the on-line sale of automotive insurance policies. Based in Boulogne-Billancourt, in autonomous partnership with leading insurance companies, Active Assurances develops, distributes, and manages automotive insurance policies. For further information, visitactiveassurances.frAbout AFI AssurancesFounded in 1996 by Frédéric Bacmann, AFI Assurances is an insurance broker specialised in health and life insurance. The company selects for its customers the best insurance contract amongst the 200 insurance or mutual products available on line. To know more about AFI Assurances, please consult the websiteafiassurances.fr
About Activa Capital
Activa Capital is an independent private equity firm, owned by its partners, characterized by a proactive build-up strategy. It currently manages more than €300 million on behalf of institutional investors by investing in French SMEs and ETIs with high growth potential and an enterprise value of between €20 and €100 million. Activa Capital assists them to accelerate their development and international presence. To find out more about Activa Capital, visit activacapital.com
Press contacts:
Alexandre MassonManaging Partner+33 1 43 12 50 12alexandre.masson@activacapital.com
Christophe Parier Managing Partner +33 1 43 12 50 12christophe.parier@activacapital.com
Christelle PiattoCommunications Manager+33 1 43 12 50 12christelle.piatto@activacapital.com
ThomasRiottotCEO –Active Assurances Groupe+33 6 75 70 37 23tr@activeassurances.fr

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Onex Invests Follow-On Capital in Ryan Specialty Group

Onex

Toronto,September 1,2020–

Onex Corporation (“Onex”) (TSX: ONEX) today announced it has made an incremental investment of approximately $110 million in Ryan Specialty Group,LLC (“RSG”)to support its strategic acquisition of All Risks, Ltd. (“All Risks”). This preferred equity investment was made by Onex as a follow-on to its investment in RSG in 2018.Founded in2010, RSGis al eading international specialty insurance organization which provides wholesale brokerage and highly specialized managing general underwriting services to retail insurance brokers and insurance carriers.The company is approaching $12 billion in premium in2020.Formed in 1964,All Risks has grown from a one office excess and surplus lines brokerage acility to a national wholesale broker, managing general agency, and program administrator.Over the past25years, continued reinvestment in talent has resulted in an 18% average annua organic growth rate.The company has offices across the country and over 850 employees and isprojecting $2.6 billion in premium in 2020.“UnderPat Ryan’s leadership,RSG continuesto impress us with its abilityto profitably growboth organically and inorganically,” said Bobby Le Blanc, President of Onex. “The company continues to attract and retain top-tier talent and execute on its strategic vision. Onex is excited about the new partnership between RSG and All Risks and looks forward to continuing to support RSG’s future growth plans.”

About Onex

Founded in 1984, Onex invests and manages capital on behalf of its shareholders, institutional investors and high net worth clients from around the world. Onex’ platforms include: Onex Partners, private equity funds focused on larger opportunities in North America and Europe; ONCAP, private equity funds focused on middle market and smaller opportunities in North America; Onex Credit, which manages primarily non-investment grade debt through collateralized loan obligations, senior loan strategies and other private credit strategies; and Gluskin Sheff’s wealth management services including its actively managed public equity and public credit funds. In total, Onex has approximately $35.6 billion of assets under management, of which approximately $6.6 billion is its own shareholder capital. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey and London, Onex and its experienced management teams are collectively the largest investors across Onex’ platforms.The Onex Partners and ONCAP businesses have assets of $45 billion, generate annual revenues of $25 billion and employ approximately 165,000 people worldwide. Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONEX.

For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com. Onex’ security filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain, without limitation, statements concerning possible or assumed future operations, performance or results preceded by, followed by or that include words such as “believes”, “expects”, “potential”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “intends”, “plans” and words of similar connotation, which would constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve significant and diverse risks and uncertainties that may cause actual operations, performance or results to be materially different from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by Canadian securities law, Onex is under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein should material facts change due to new information, future events or other factors. These cautionary statements expressly qualify all forward-looking statements in this press release.

For Further Information

Claire Glossop IraniDirector, Client & Product Solutions Tel: 416.362.7711

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