Ardonagh Europe announces expansion of European footprint with Léons Group, in the Netherlands

Ardonagh Europe Limited (“Ardonagh Europe”) a subsidiary of The Ardonagh Group (“Ardonagh”, “The Group”) headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, today announces it has agreed to acquire, subject to the receipt of unconditional regulatory approvals, Léons Group (“Léons”), an independent family-owned insurance brokerage and consultancy firm in the Netherlands.

Headquartered in Amsterdam and founded in 1951 by Max Léons, Léons Group specialises in full-service insurance solutions to corporate clients and is renowned for expertise in complex cases and international operations.

Léons Group is a founding member and shareholder of Brokerslink, a global network that brings together market-leading, independent brokers from 125 countries and supports them with world-class, risk management and insurance services.

CEO Sunny Léons was for many years board member and one of the initiators of further consolidation within Brokerslink to build an international broker together with partners.

The broker, which celebrated its 71^st anniversary early June 2022, will continue to operate independently as part of Ardonagh Europe under the direct leadership of Sunny and Nico Léons, together with the shareholders and current management team, building on successive years of growth. The Léons family maintains a stake in Léons Group as part of the transaction.

Conor Brennan, CEO of Ardonagh Europe says “We are excited to welcome Léons to Ardonagh, together building on their Dutch roots and solid reputation in the market to build a portfolio of brands and insurance broker companies that are leaders in their target markets.  Sunny and Nico have built a unique business with a special culture that will fit perfectly alongside the portfolio of independent businesses that Ardonagh has acquired over the last number of years. We are very excited by what we can achieve with our new partners in the Netherlands."

Commenting on the acquisition, Sunny Léons adds “The Ardonagh Group and its leadership are a perfect match for our vision and growth ambitions. We are thrilled to be joining forces with a global platform with scale and dynamic culture, that embraces our family-owned concept. With access to Ardonagh’s considerable resource and capital, we look forward to joining them as our growth engine together with MDS and other partners, to build on an international group as individual partners.

David Ross, CEO of The Ardonagh Group comments “Welcoming this leading independent Dutch firm into the Group continues our meaningful global investment and further strengthens our relationship with members of Brokerslink. With independence core to our own success, this is a testament to the respect we have for this network, and the strength and quality of its membership.”

In December 2021, The Ardonagh Group announced the acquisition of MDS Group, a leading insurance broker and risk management advisor across the Portuguese-speaking world and Europe and founding member and shareholder in Brokerslink.

Notes to Editors

THE ARDONAGH GROUP

The Ardonagh Group is one of the world’s leading independent insurance distribution platforms. We are collection of best-in-class entrepreneurial and specialist brands with a network of more 150 locations and a combined workforce of more than 9,000 people. Across our portfolio, we offer a highly diversified range of insurance-related products and services across the full insurance value chain in the UK, Ireland and broader international markets. From complex multinational corporations to individuals purchasing personal insurance policies, our understanding of the communities we serve, together with our scale and breadth, allows us to work with our insurer partners to deliver a broad range of product and risk solutions that meet customer needs.

Ardonagh Europe is part of Ardonagh’s International platform which is a platform for growth in the region and rest of the world. It includes Arachas, the Republic of Ireland’s largest commercial insurance broker delivering exclusive insurance solutions through a multi-channel distribution strategy, Resilium, Australia’s largest independently owned intermediary network, AccuRisk Solutions, a US-based MGA focused on medical stop loss products, and HWF Partners, a fast-growing specialist M&A insurance broker operating out of the UK and Germany.

THE LĖONS GROUP

Léons is one of the largest independent privately owned registered insurance brokers in the Netherlands, founded in 1951.

Léons is one of the leading brokers in The Netherlands in placing complex risk using domestic co-insurance market and global offerings by using other (international) markets like Lloyds.

Our clients include financial institutions, real estate funds, hospitals, large trading companies, entertainment, and retail companies. Leons advises all sectors of business, operating domestically and internationally.

Since day one of our existence, we have followed a referral-only policy for new clients, placing our focus on our clients at the core of our DNA.

A significant part of our clients has global footprints. Léons has developed an excellent service offering, working in close contact with our Brokerslink partners to service this segment of our client base worldwide. This enables us to globally offer services to our customers, while maintaining the focus on quality and know-how in every local market where our clients are active.

The Léons family has always centred on long term goals over short- term success. This is reflected in every part of the company. Long-standing relationships with our clients, underwriters, colleagues, and other partners make Leons one of the most professional, stable and trustworthy insurance brokers active in the Dutch market.

Besides Léons insurance broker service, Léons has a dedicated consultancy department, providing advisory services. The advice offering covers complex risks such as risk management, pension schemes, complicated claims and IPO’s. The core of this consultancy service is the fact that Léons only present advice at that moment, while existing intermediaries attend to the placement and handling.

www.leons.nl