Ardonagh Group announces acquisition of Australian insurance firm Envest
The Ardonagh Group (“Ardonagh”, “The Group”), has announced today that it has agreed to acquire Envest Pty Ltd (“Envest”).
Headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Envest is an insurance investment and distribution business with a diverse portfolio of brands and national footprint. Under the terms of the agreement, Ardonagh intends to acquire Envest for a consideration of AUD482 million (£270 million) which will be funded with a combination of equity and debt.
The businesses being acquired as part of Envest include Aviso Group, a network of broking offices across five states managing circa AUD405 million in gross written premium, and 10 established MGAs operating both direct to consumer and intermediated.
The combined portfolio has over 550 employees and recorded revenue of AUD76.7 million (£42 million) for the financial year ended 30 June 2021.
Envest will be acquired by Ardonagh Australia Pty Ltd (“Ardonagh Australia”), which will trade locally under the Envest name and be led by current Managing Director Greg Mullins upon completion of the transaction. Envest will operate as part of Ardonagh Global Partners, which is led by CEO Des O’Connor.
Ardonagh Global Partners’ other Australian assets, Resilium Insurance Broking and Epsilon Underwriting, will operate as normal and continue to be led by their existing management teams.
Adrian Kitchin, Chief Executive Officer at Ethos Broking Australia, and Executive Director of Resilium and Ardonagh Australia, will become part of the executive team within Envest. Paul Lynam will continue in his role as Chairman of Ardonagh Australia.
Commenting on the announcement, Des O’Connor said: “This is a hugely complementary acquisition, aligning neatly with our Group’s footprint both globally and in the Australian market, which has grown substantially since our maiden investment in Resilium in February 2021. It provides a proven platform to accelerate our growth ambitions in the region.
“Greg leads a highly experienced management team with deep expertise in the market and together they have grown a strong people-focused culture over the past six years. We look forward to rallying the scale and experience of the wider Ardonagh Group behind them as they continue to invest in and empower the best and brightest entrepreneurial talent in the Australian market.”
Adrian Kitchin added: “I look forward to joining forces with the team at Envest and to execute our shared plan of growth through professionalism, service and innovation. We will continue to leverage our experience and connections as we embark on this exciting new journey together.”
Greg Mullins said: “Today’s announcement marks the start of a new and exciting chapter for us all. In Ardonagh we have found a strategic partner supportive of our ambitions, with a shared vision to empower independent broking and underwriting businesses to grow by delivering innovative solutions and the highest levels of service. In addition, the broader management team rolls forward as meaningful shareholders in the Australian business, maintaining strong alignment with our global parent”.
“Thanks to the efforts of our colleagues across all the companies that make up Envest, we have seen a tremendous period of successful growth. We plan for that upward trajectory to continue, leveraging the global insurance relationships, placement capability and experience Ardonagh and its management team have to offer.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
THE ARDONAGH GROUP
The Ardonagh Group is the UK’s largest independent insurance distribution platform and a top 20 broker globally. We are collection of best-in-class entrepreneurial and specialist brands with a network of more than 150 locations and a combined workforce of more than 9,000 people. Across our portfolio, we offer a highly diversified range of insurance-related products and services across the full insurance value chain in the UK, Ireland and broader international markets. From complex multinational corporations to individuals purchasing personal insurance policies, our understanding of the communities we serve, together with our scale and breadth, allows us to work with our insurer partners to deliver a broad range of product and risk solutions that meet customer needs.
Established in 2021 Ardonagh Global Partners (AGP) is part of The Ardonagh Group’s growing International platform and invests in leading platforms operating in attractive markets and product verticals outside of the UK and Europe. By offering access to Ardonagh’s commercial capabilities, management expertise, and funding, AGP is a partner of choice for best-in-class management teams.
ENVEST
Envest is an independent and privately owned, insurance investment and distribution business with interests in brokers, agencies and insurtechs. Envest has a diversified portfolio of financial services businesses, and growing, with a network of national offices and a combined workforce of over 550 employees. Our investments relate to three key pillars: General Insurance Brokers, Underwriting Agencies (MGAs) and Insurance Related Investment. We provide financial and smart, strategic support to our partners businesses to leverage scale and drive growth.
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