Gross written premium (1999):
Gross written premium (1999):
£530.9m
Parent:
Groupama
Year company established:
1999
UK head office:
2 Minster Court
Mincing Lane
London
EC3R 7RB
tel: 020 7623 5280
fax: 020 7220 0454
email:
:corporate.office@groupama.co.uk
website:
www.groupama.co.uk
Company history:
Groupama Insurances, one of the leading general insurers in the UK, was formed in 1999.
Created from the merger of GAN Insurance and Lombard General Insurance Company, Groupama Insurances now insures more than one million individuals and some of the country's best-known businesses.
Between them, the two UK subsidiaries of Groupama, now renamed Groupama Insurance Company and Groupama General Insurance Company, have traditions of insurance dating back over 150 years
Chief officer:
Tony Lancaster, chairman and chief executive
Biography:
Tony Lancaster was appointed chairman and chief executive of GAN Insurance Group, part
of French giant Groupama-GAN in 1991. Following Groupama's acquisition of GAN in 1998, he was appointed chairman and chief executive of the combined operations in the UK.
He began his career in insurance in 1960 when he joined National Employers Mutual (NEM) as trainee inspector responsible for the development of business in the City. In 1963 he transferred to NEM's Trinidad operation as inspector and in 1966 opened the company's first branch office in Nassau, Bahamas. In 1972 NEM's Nassau branch was merged into AFIA group.
In 1974 he was appointed general manager AFIA North Caribbean, still based in Nassau, with responsibility for the Bahamas, Jamaica and Bermuda. He transferred back to Trinidad in 1977 to manage the Caribbean Home Insurance Company (owned by AFIA, Neal & Massey and Angostura Bitters) which became the largest insurance company in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
In 1982 he returned to London as general manager, AFIA London, and in 1984 he was appointed vice-president of Cigna general insurance operations in the UK.
In 1988 he became senior vice-president of Cigna's UK and Ireland's general insurance operations
UK branch offices:
ten
UK staff:
1,200
UK general insurance agents:
6,000
UK general insurance “club style” agents:
120
Direct arm:
none
Main classes of business:
personal and commercial lines including: private motor – 30%, household – 11%, accident and health – 16%, commercial property – 14%, commercial casualty – 6%, fleets – 6%, marine – 4%, treaty – 6%, overseas – 3% and others – 3%.
Key general insurance personnel:
Tim Ablett, managing director, personal insurances
Stephen Hartigan, managing director, commercial insurances
Terry Bishop, IT director
Paul Picknett, corporate strategy and support director
Lawrie Arnold, finance director
