7 : Winterthur - Includes Churchill, NIG and Winterthur International

Combined Gross written premium (1999):
£934.7m

Churchill

Parent:
Credit Suisse Group

Year company established:
1989

UK head office:
Churchill Court
Westmoreland Road
Bromley
Kent
BR1 1DP
tel: 020 8313 3030
fax: 020 8313 5361

website:
www.churchill.com

Company history:
Churchill was launched in 1989 with the backing of the Winterthur Insurance group - now part of the Credit Suisse Group.

From startup, Churchill has built a customer base in excess of 1.5 million.

The company has won best car and home insurance provider (Guardian and Observer), best direct motor insurance provider and best internet car and home provider.

Along with headquarters in Bromley, Kent, the company also owns a software house in New Delhi (India), a network of accident repair centres and a second call centre operation in Teesside.

Churchill Insurance is owned by the Churchill Insurance Group which also includes subsidiaries, Anglia Countrywide (a telebroker based in Ipswich), Devitt Insurance Services (a specialist broker based in Romford) and NIG, which joined the group in March 2000. This gives the group multi-channel distribution covering a wide range of general insurance markets.

Churchill underwrites and administers branded car and home insurance for a number of major financial companies including Halifax, Lloyds TSB, Nationwide, Co-operative Bank, Birmingham Midshires and United Assurance Group. In June 2000 Churchill became the first direct insurer included on the AA car insurance panel

Chief officer:
Martin Long, chairman and chief executive

Biography:
Martin Long, 50, founded Churchill Insurance in 1989. Before setting up Churchill, Long was one of the original team that founded Direct Line, and was director and manager from 1984 to1987. A career professional - he is a fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute - Long has worked for two large composite insurance companies and a number of smaller ones specialising in personal lines insurance

UK staff:
2,500

Main classes of business:
private motor, home buildings and contents, travel, pet, caravan and motorcycle.

Key general insurance personnel:
John O'Roarke, managing director
Peter Horton, operations director
David Hiddleston, business development director
Charles Crawford, technical services director

NIG

Parent:
Credit Suisse Group

Year company established:
1894

UK head office:
Crown House
145 City Road
London
EC1V 1LP
tel: 020 7656 6000
fax: 020 7251 0345

email:
information@nig-uk.com

website:
www.nig-uk.com

Company history:
NIG is one of the UK's biggest insurance providers, with more than three million policyholders and gross assets in excess of £500m. Established in 1894, NIG sells insurance polices through a network of independent brokers, that today numbers over 5,000. NIG's range of insurance products covers motor cars, motorcycles, homes and businesses.

At the insurance broker industry awards NIG was the private motor claims winner in 1998 and the personal lines claims service winner in 1999. It has been runner up for the best insurers overall award for the past four years, and won private motor insurer of the year in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

NIG is part of Winterthur Group. Winterthur is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the Credit Suisse Group, one of the ten-largest financial services companies in the world with a market capitalisation of around £33bn

Chief officer:
John Carrier, managing director

Biography:
John Carrier was appointed managing director in 1996, having been with the NIG since 1990

UK branch offices:
12

UK staff:
910 approx

UK general insurance agents:
5,000 approx

UK general insurance "club style" agents:
500

Direct arm:
none

Main classes of business:
personal lines, commercial lines and special risks

Key general insurance personnel:
Phil Bunker, director, personal lines
Robert Butler, information systems manager
Paul Cassidy, company secretary
Paul Chaplain, Finsure managing director
John Craig, operations manager
Charles Earle, commercial director
David Grant, sales and marketing manager
Adrian Harris, personal lines underwriting manager
Sheree Howard, company actuary
Stuart Hughes, finance director
Graham Long, human resources manager
Stuart Lanham, customer relationship manager

Winterthur International

Parent:
Credit Suisse Group

Year company established:
1985

UK head office:
Winterthur House
34 Leadenhall Street
London
EC3A 1AX
tel: 020 7929 2181
fax: 020 7929 3537

website:
www.winterthur-int.com

Company history:
Winterthur International is a multi-national insurance carrier with a premium volume of US$1.65bn (£1.13bn). It was incorporated in 1985 and it started writing business from January 1986. It changed its name from Winterthur Insurance Company to Winterthur International Insurance Company in March 1994.

Winterthur services the risk management needs of large multi-national commercial operations and provides each key customer with a personal account executive.

It is part of the Winterthur Group which merged with Credit Suisse Group in 1997.

Winterthur's immediate parent is Winterthur UK Holdings and its ultimate parent is Winterthur Swiss Insurance Company

Chief officer:
Hans Gmuender

UK branch offices:
none

UK staff:
140

Main classes of business:
industrial and commercial property, casualty and employee benefits

Key general insurance personnel:
Nigel Bamber, special account manager
Nick Charteris-Black, key account manger
Jacob Schlawitz, key account manager
Neil Lightbown, casualty underwriting manager
Eileen McCusker, property underwriting manager
Colin Vening, employee benefits manager
Justine Wallington, international employee benefits consultant
Mike Dugdale, claims manager and legal counsel