11. ALLIANZ
57 Ladymead, Guildford, Surrey GU1 1DB
Tel: 01483 568161
Fax: 01483 578404
Website: www.allianz.co.uk
Chief officer: Andrew Torrance, chief executive
Number of UK offices: 23
Number of UK employees: 4,000
Major shareholder: Allianz SE
Main lines of business: Commercial lines; personal lines; and speciality business.
Subsidiaries: Threepillars; Pet Plan; Trafalgar Insurance; British Reserve; Premierline
Company history: Cornhill Insurance was founded in 1905 by the directors of Willis Faber. The company changed its name to Allianz Cornhill in 2003.
The company began underwriting motor insurance in 1924 and opened its head office in Guildford in 1953. In 1986 the company was acquired by the German financial services giant, Allianz AG, based in Munich. In 2004 Allianz Cornhill was voted General Insurer of the Year at the British Insurance Awards and in the following year repeated this success in the company’s centenary year.
Chief officer biography: Andrew Torrance joined Allianz Cornhill in April 1999 as general manager – Allianz Cornhill broker division, and was appointed as a director of the company at the same time.
He took over as chief executive in July 2003.
Torrance previously spent six years with London & Edinburgh Insurance, the last three as chief executive.
The first part of Torrance’s career was with Boston Consulting where he spent 16 years in all; during the period 1984 to 1992 he was a partner in its London office focusing on the financial services industry. During this time he consulted with leading general insurance companies in the UK, Spain and South Africa.
Torrance has a master’s degree from the London Business School and an MA from Cambridge University where he specialised in theoretical physics.
Trinity Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 2RG
12. HBOS?GROUP
Tel: 01422 333829
Fax: 01422 333 007
Website: www.halifax.co.uk/insurance
Chief officer: Tom Woolgrove, managing director, HBOS General Insurance
Number of UK offices: 5
Number of UK employees: over 2,500
Major shareholders: HBOS General Insurance is a member of the HBOS Group
Main lines of business: HBOS General Insurance provides an extensive range of insurance products including household, travel, healthcare, pet and repayment insurance.
Subsidiaries: Halifax Insurance Ireland. Halifax General Insurance Services, St Andrew’s Insurance, St Andrew’s Life Assurance, St Andrew’s Memberships Services.
Company history: Halifax General Insurance Services was established in 1996. HBOS General Insurance – which consists of Halifax General Insurance, Halifax Insurance Ireland and St Andrew’s Group – was formed as a result of the merger between Bank of Scotland and Halifax in 2001.
Chief officer biography: Tom Woolgrove became managing director of Halifax General Insurance in June 2006. Prior to this he held other senior management positions within HBOS including head of motor finance and head of consumer management in advisory sales.
Woolgrove joined HBOS in November 2002 after working as a strategy consultant with Gemini Consulting, part of the Cap Gemini group.
Woolgrove began his career as a graduate engineer with Rolls-Royce Aerospace. He holds a masters degree in engineering and management from Oxford University and also has an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, where he was a Fulbright scholar.
13. MUNICH RE
Munchener Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft, Koniginstrasse 107, 80802 Munich, Germany
Tel: +49 893891-0
Website: www.munichre.com
Chief Executive Officer: Dr Nikolaus von Bomhard, chairman
DAS LEGAL EXPENSES
DAS UK is part of Munich-based DAS – the European leader in legal expenses insurance, with an annual premium income of more than €844m.
DAS Munich is in turn part of the ERGO Group, the second largest German Insurance Group with a premium income of over €16bn.
Munich Re. DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Co, DAS House, Quay Side, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6NH
Tel: 0117 934 2000 / 2109
email: marketing@das.co.uk
Website: www.das.co.uk
Chief officer: Paul Asplin ACII, chief executive
Year established: 1975
Number of UK offices: 5
Number of UK employees: 400+
Number of UK general insurance agents: 2,500+
Main lines of business: Legal expenses
DAS company history:
DAS (UK) was formed in 1975 as a joint venture between Phoenix Assurance (now Royal & SunAlliance) and DAS Deutsche Automobile Schutz of Munich.
DAS had 20 employees and a premium income of £50,000.
In 1989 DAS Munich bought the 50% SunAlliance shareholding to obtain a 100% shareholding of DAS UK. In the same year, DAS Corporate Business Department was established to forge closer links with existing and potential major clients.
DAS Services was launched in 1992, to provide stand-alone advice and assistance services in response to the growing business.
A customised call centre was opened in DAS House in 1997. Motorists Legal Protection was also acquired and renamed MLP Legal Protection, while DAS Munich was acquired by ERGO and DAS UK was restructured as DAS UK Holdings.
In 2003 DAS became the first insurer to achieve ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation and in 2004 DAS passed the £100m GWP milestone.
Chief officer Biography: Paul Asplin has worked for DAS for nearly 30 years.
He joined the company as an underwriting clerk, then working in its sales department, including managing the DAS offices in Manchester and London.
He later returned to the Bristol head office as general manager. Asplin assumed the position of managing director in February 1999 and became group chief executive in 2005.
14. QBE
QBE Insurance (Europe), Plantation Place, 30 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M3BD
Tel: 020 7105 4000
Fax: 020 7105 4019
email: enquiries@qbe-europe.com
Website: www.QBEeurope.com
Chief officer: Steven Burns, chief executive, QBE European Operations
All figures quoted below relate to the UK-based QBE Insurance (Europe) and Limit Underwriting, which form part of QBE European Operations.
Year established: 1886
Main lines of business: QBE European Operations writes the following commercial lines: bloodstock and equine; casualty treaty; credit surety and political risk; asset protection; general liability; leisure and sport; marine treaty; motor treaty; motor fleet; personal accident; personal accident treaty; product protection and warranty; property; property treaty; speciality and professional lines; trade credit; UK employers’ liability; UK public liability; professional liability.
Number of UK employees: 1,800
Company history: QBE European Operations offers commercial insurance and reinsurance in the company market, via QBE Insurance (Europe), and operates in Lloyd’s. It is one of three divisions which comprise QBE Insurance Group.
Established in 1886, QBE Insurance Group is one of the world's leading international insurance and reinsurance groups. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the group consists of diversified insurance and reinsurance activities, operating out of 45 countries worldwide with a gross written premium of £4,182m and holds shareholders’ funds of £2,533m to year end 2006. QBE’s principal operating subsidiaries are rated A+ by Standard and Poor’s and A+ by Fitch Ratings.
15. NFU MUTUAL
Tiddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7BJ
Tel: 01789 204211
Fax: 01789 298992
Website: www.nfumutual.co.uk
Chief officer: Ian Geden, FCII, group chief executive
Number of UK offices: Over 300
Number of UK employees: 2,700 (Dec 2006)
Main lines of business: Business, motor and personal insurance
Company history: Building on its traditional farming heritage, NFU Mutual has grown and diversified over the last decade, to become the country’s leading rural insurer, offering a wide range of insurance services backed by local service. With assets under management of more than £11bn and an enviable reputation for fair dealing and quality service, it is the natural choice for many people who live in or do business in the countryside.
Chief officer biography: Ian Geden joined NFU Mutual in Stratford as a professional trainee in 1969 and has held a wide range of positions throughout the group.
He was appointed an assistant general manager in December 1996 after two years as regional manager of Anglia. He became general manager in January 1998.
He was appointed to NFU Mutual’s board of directors in 1999 and succeeded Andrew Young as managing director at the beginning of 2002. In March 2005 Geden became group chief executive.
16. XL CAPITAL
XL House, 70 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0XL
Tel: 020 7933 7000
Fax: 020 7469 1000
Website: www.xlinsurance.com
email: Donal.Kelly@xlgroup.com
Chief officer: Clive Tobin, chief executive XL Insurance
Year established: 1986
Number of UK employees: About 600
Main lines of business: Property; casualty; marine; directors’ and officers’, environmental; energy; aviation; equine; fine art and product recall.
Company history: From its origin as a writer of excess liability insurance, XL Insurance has grown into one of the world’s pre-eminent writers of commercial insurance.
XL Insurance is the global brand used by member insurers of the XL Capital group of companies. XL Insurance Company is a UK-registered EU-carrier which writes primarily global risk management property/casualty insurance for large national and multinational corporations.
Led by Clive Tobin the XL Insurance companies today operate in 25 countries with more than $4bn in net premium collectively earned in 2006. They are global providers of primary to excess commercial insurance and are viewed as a global strategic partner for many companies.
17. FORTIS
Fortis House, Tollgate, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 3YA
Tel: 023 8064 4455
Fax:023 8064 4690
Website: www.fortisinsurance.co.uk
Chief officer: Barry Smith, chief executive
Year established: 1939
Number of UK offices: 2
Number of UK employees: 1,368
Main lines of business:
Personal lines: private car, household (buildings and contents), travel, caravan and camping.
Commercial lines: van insurance, commercial packages (including leisure, care home, property owners, manufacturers, distributors, office and surgery, commercial choice, shopkeepers and home workers) and Semploy (a self employed liability product).
Company history: Fortis Insurance in the UK is part of the Fortis Group, an international leader in the fields of insurance, banking, investment and bancassurance.
Rated Api by Standard & Poor’s, Fortis Insurance remains focused on underwriting excellence, expense control and investment for consistent and sustained profitable growth, demonstrated by the company’s achievement of better than market growth while maintaining profitable operating ratios. Fortis Insurance is totally committed to the intermediated market and has a proven track record for providing outstanding customer service.
With an office in Hampshire and Gloucestershire, Fortis Insurance operates its own in-house 24-hour claims services including Assistance International, a medical emergency service for overseas travellers.
Chief officer biography: Barry Smith took on the role of chief executive for Fortis Insurance in November 2001. Smith has a BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB) and a member of the Institute of Marketing (MCIM).
Smith is chairman of the ABI Motor Committee, a member of the ABI GIC Management Committee, chairman of the ABI Greenaway Review into uninsured driving and also past president of CII in Southampton.
18. FM GLOBAL
1 Windsor Dials, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1RS
Tel: 01753 750 000
Fax: 01753 750070
Website: www.fmglobal.com
Chief officer: Ken Davey, managing director
Major shareholders: FM Global is a mutual company
Number of UK offices: 3
Number of UK employees: 295
Main lines of business: Commercial and industrial property insurance
Company history: For over 170 years, FM Global has been helping its clients to better understand the nature of their risks and develop sound property loss prevention solutions that can effectively improve their risk profile.
FM Global was established in the UK in 1963 and its Windsor offices are the headquarters for all of FM Global’s business in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. It provides insurance and risk management services to many of the world’s leading organisations.
FM Global does business in more than 100 countries through its WorldReach capability and was named European Business Insurer of the Year in both 2004 and 2005.
FM Global received a Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2004.
Chief officer biography: Ken Davey is senior vice president – managing director, international division, at FM Global. He is based in the company’s international division headquarters in Windsor, UK.
Davey has held his position since July 1999, when Arkwright Mutual Insurance merged with sister companies Allendale Insurance and Protection Mutual to form FM Global.
19.SWISS RE
30 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8EP
Tel: 020 7933 3000
Fax: 020 7933 5000
Website: www.swissre.com
Chief Executive Officer: Philippe Regazzoni
Year established: 1969
Major shareholders: Wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss Re
Number of UK offices: 1
Number of UK employees: None. Staff are employed by Swiss Re Services
Main lines of business: Property, casualty and marine reinsurance
Subsidiary: SR International Business Insurance Company
Company history: Swiss Reinsurance Company UK was established in 1969. Its UK parent company is Swiss Re GB.
Swiss Re UK is a dedicated non-life reinsurance operation. Life and health reinsurance transactions are handled by a sister company, Swiss Re Life & Health, a separate legal entity.
Swiss Re has announced its intention to optimise its legal entity structure in the EU by forming legal entities in Luxembourg, which will serve as risk carriers for most of its European reinsurance and insurance business.
In the UK, it is intended that this structure will take effect at the beginning of 2008. The business of Swiss Reinsurance Company UK will be undertaken by the UK branch of Swiss Re Europe SA, the Luxembourg reinsurance company. Swiss Re UK is rated AA- by Standard & Poor’s.
20. LLOYDS TSB
Lloyds TSB General Insurance, Tredegar Park, Newport, Gwent, NP10 8SB
Tel: 01633 810666
Website: www.lloydstsb.com/insurance
Chief officer: Phil Loney, managing director, Lloyds TSB General Insurance
Major shareholders: The ultimate parent company is Lloyds TSB Group
Number of UK offices: 4
Number of UK employees: 1,800
Main lines of business: Home; motor; travel; pet; creditor and business insurance.
Company history: Established in 1995, Lloyds TSB General Insurance provides general insurance through the retail branches of Lloyds TSB Bank and Cheltenham & Gloucester, direct telephone operation and the internet.
The company is one of the leading distributors of household insurance in the UK.
Lloyds TSB Insurance also owns Screentrade (www.screentrade.co.uk), the longest established online broker of general insurance.
Chief officer biography: Phil Loney originally joined Lloyds Bank in June 1986 as a graduate trainee.
In 1995 he left Lloyds Bank to gain wider commercial experience and held a number of senior executive positions within the financial services sector, including sales and marketing director at Saga Services, managing director – direct business at CGU Insurance, and chief operations officer at AXA Life.
He was appointed managing director of Lloyds TSB Insurance on 1 September 2003.
