J. Scott Penny, chief acquisitions officer of Brown & Brown, Inc., announced that the company has entered into an agreement to acquire Kentro Capital Limited.
The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2023, subject to certain closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals. The Kentro Group and its individual business entities will continue to trade and operate as they have historically, with the same leadership team, brand and market focus.
Kentro is an insurance group headquartered in London. The company manages over £500 million of gross written premiums. The collective Kentro team is composed of more than 350 insurance professionals operating from offices in the U.K., U.S., Europe, Asia and Dubai.
Colin Thompson, Kentro Group CEO, will continue to lead the business. Stuart Rouse will remain the Kentro Group CFO, and will work directly with Brown & Brown senior leaders, Mike Bruce, Senior Vice President and Chris Walker the Executive Vice President; and Barrett Brown, Executive Vice President.
Chris Walker said, “We are very excited to have Colin, the Kentro senior leaders and their talented staff join the Brown & Brown team. The cultural alignment between our businesses demonstrates our shared vision and commitment to assisting customers of all sizes to meet their unique risk management needs. Leveraging the Power of WE across our programs businesses and adding new specialty capabilities to our portfolio strengthens our presence with London markets and positions us for continued growth.”
Founded in 2008, its Kentro companies, namely Nexus, Xenia, Millstream, Capstone Brokers and Spectrum Risk Management, have focused on product specialization and underwriting discipline as cornerstones for growth.
Nexus underwrites across a diversified portfolio which consists of 20 risk classes, including trade credit, financial lines and aviation. It has a network of over 800 retail broker partners in nine countries. The Nexus operating platform is purpose-built to maximize growth and underwriting performance.
Xenia is one of the largest retail trade credit brokers in the U.K., with over 1,500 policyholders ranging from large corporates to SME customers.
Millstream is a specialty travel and personal accident provider; Capstone Brokers provides access to the Asian marketplace for complex financial lines and digital asset risks. Meanwhile, Spectrum Risk Management acts as an intermediary, agency and advisory service in the MENA regions and Asia.
Colin Thompson commented, “Joining the Brown & Brown team marks an exciting and pivotal milestone in the success and future of the Kentro Group. What has set the Kentro Group aside from others is our real-life entrepreneurial drive and ability to innovate, ably accomplished by our highly talented team. For me, it was crucial that Brown & Brown shares this approach and can support our desire to turbo-charge the growth and success of Kentro while ensuring the rewards flow to every teammate within the Group. We are at an extremely exciting time in our continued growth and development as a Group, and coming together with Brown & Brown will serve as an enabler and a catalyst for further sustained success.”
Barrett Brown speaking about Xenia, said, “We look forward to working with Tim Coles, Xenia’s CEO, and the entire Xenia Broking team. The great capabilities they bring will add significant value to our Retail segment teammates and customers. The breadth of their specialization in trade credit will drive our continued growth and expanded presence in the U.K. and Western Europe and provide for new opportunities in the U.S.”
