Fee and commission income (2003): £29.6m
Pre-tax profit (2003):not supplied

Address:
Folgate House
26-28 Pembroke Road
Sevenoaks
Kent TN13 1XR

Tel: 0870 908 32 ...

Fee and commission income (2003): £29.6m
Pre-tax profit (2003):not supplied

Address:
Folgate House
26-28 Pembroke Road
Sevenoaks
Kent TN13 1XR

Tel: 0870 908 3200

Fax: 0870 908 3201

Email: enquiries@folgate.co.uk

Year established: 2002

History: Almost five yeas ago Peter Cullum left Hiscox Insurance Company to create the market-leading underwriting agency in niche and affinity personal lines schemes - Towergate Underwriting Group. Towergate has focused on becoming a 'virtual insurer' across an array of specialist insurance classes, and seeks to manage all the elements required to deliver these products to customers on behalf of insurer partners. Despite significant gloom in some sectors of UK insurance industry, a real opportunity exists to successfully develop distribution through these highly effective professional intermediaries.

The Folgate Partnership was launched in March 2002 to harness the potential of these intermediaries through acquisition of regional intermediary hubs and the growing of their businesses. In addition, The Folgate Partnership has utilised the acquisition of Masterplan from Sirius Financial Systems to create Folgate Masterplan - a 'member network' proposition based around the quality members currently subscribing to Masterplan. Folgate Insurance Company has been converted into The Folgate Underwriting Agency, and provides The Folgate Partnership with a process infrastructure and a retained household and travel insurance business.

Major shareholders: RBSM (Investments) Ltd; Peter Cullum; Andy Homer; Kenny Maciver.

Main lines of business: Personal lines, commercial lines

Number of UK branches: 20

Subsidiary companies: Folgate Masterplan, Folgate Underwriting Agency Personal Lines, SMg Risk Solutions incorporating RBR Insurance Brokers Ltd, Duncan Pocock Risk Solutions, Bervale Mead Risk Solutions, Willett & Ross Risk Solutions, Folgate Risk Solutions incorporating Clarke Cooper Insurance Brokers and Canterbury Insurance Practice, Seymour Pope Risk Solutions, Pallett & Collins Risk Solutions, DPR Risk Solutions, Folgate Underwriting Agency Personal Accident & Travel, Byas Mosley Risk Solutions, Folgate Sharp Risk Solutions, Folgate Underwriting Agency Commercial Lines, Folgate London Market Lloyd's Brokers.

Number of UK employees (2002): 320

Chief officer: Andy Homer, FCII

Biography: Andy Homer is 49 and started his career with Commercial Union (CU) as a management trainee in 1971 qualifying as a chartered insurer in 1976. He held various positions within the CU before becoming the company's youngest UK general manager in 1996. Upon the merger of CU and General Accident to form CGU plc in 1998, he was appointed general manager, corporate and London markets. He left CGU to become chief executive of AXA Provincial in August 1998 and then chief executive of AXA Insurance plc, following the acquisition of the GRE Group in 1999. He was also an executive director of Sun Life and Provincial Holdings plc between 1998 and 2000 (when Sun Life and Provincial Holdings delisted). While at AXA he was non-executive director of their global reinsurance company AXA Cessions (France) and AXA Assistance (UK). He was chairman of the Motor Insurers' Bureau from 1998 to 2001. In 1998 he was appointed a trustee of the Insurance Ombudsman Pension Fund. He is president of the CII. He was appointed chief executive of The Folgate Partnership on 1 March 2002.

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