Acquisitions

We look for businesses that align with our values, who are interested in a tailored arrangement that supports their broader objectives of sustained success and growth.

We're stronger together

Since forming in 2001, we have established a reputation of sustainable growth, with a strong national presence and expansion into continental Europe.

Our Group is seeking to acquire high-quality broking businesses, in the UK, Ireland and Europe, that would benefit from being part of Clear’s journey. The Group’s buy and build strategy is typically aimed to attract like-minded, client-centric, solution-oriented and culturally aligned brokers as well as MGAs who are ready for their next phase of development.

Through over 50 acquisitions, we have built highly respected and professional teams that comprise of knowledgeable specialists. Within our award winning broking brands, Clear Insurance Management has specialists across a commercial and professional sectors, with access to wide markets to allow the best outcome for our clients.

These capabilities include:

Construction
Cyber
Employee benefits
Legal indemnity
Leisure
Management liability
MGA
Professional indemnity
Risk Management
Retail
Rights of light
Schemes
SME
Wholesale

Visit our Clear Insurance Management site

A journey of growth

1000+

Employees

35+

Locations

50+

Acquistions

£1bn+

GWP

Different by choice

Despite our rapid growth we have never compromised on the foundations of who we are, as it's our entrepreneurial spirit that got us to where we are today.

We have retained our culture by acquiring businesses that are aligned with our values. We're different by choice, because we do the right thing.

When we acquire, we don’t want to change how businesses operate; how it feels when you walk into an office, or what the experience is like for employees. Instead, ensuring a match in values with each acquisition, balanced with a recognition of its heritage, has led us to a Group-wide shared culture that is embedded into everything we do.

There may be lots of choice for selling your insurance business, but there's only one Clear.

Do the right thing, Infographic. Entrepreneurial Spirit, Professional and relationship led, People first, Long term and sustainable, True to our values, Doing the right thing.

Our acquisitions

Our acquired businesses mutually align in values and vision in continuing on the path of growth together.

2024

2023

Porticus Insurance Consultants Limited
P W White & Partners Limited
Peter Hoare & Company (Insurance Brokers) Limited
Bluestone Insurance Services
Miles Archer Limited
Heath Crawford & Foster Holdings Limited
Profile Risk Solutions Limited
One Commercial Specialty Limited
MJB Finningley Limited
Mayor Broking Limited
Thomond Underwriting Limited
MBC Insurance
IFM Insurance Brokers Limited

2022

LawSure Insurance Brokers
GSI Commercial Services
ProAktive Limited
Centor Insurance & Risk Management Limited
Kent Insurance Brokers Limited

2021

HR Jennings & Co Limited
Anderson White Insurance Brokers
Luker Rowe Chartered Insurance Brokers
HIA International

2020

Brokerbility Holdings Limited
BHIB Insurance Brokers
Churchill Insurance Consultants Limited
Light & Legal Indemnity Solutions

2010 to 2019

Foster & Lamb (2010)
Bryant Kesek (2011)
McHale Heaney & NMTF Marketline Insurance Services (2011)
Steveni Kessler (2013)
Heartland Limited (2014)
Emson Corporate Services (2015)
JH Hibbert (2015)
MPW Insurance Brokers (2017)
John Ansell & Partners (2018)
Genavco Insurance Limited (2018)
Robert Alexander Limited (2018)
Morrison Edwards Insurance Services (2019)

1999 to 2009

Southern
Houlder
Lynas Vokes
Highway
APL Protection
The National Solicitors Network
Burgess Potter
Kempster Lobo
Bloomsbury
James Dove
Milbourne
Stephens & Partners
Reid & Co

We're here throughout the whole process

We believe in looking after people. When talk about acquisition, we expect many questions about the process. Transparency is important - so here is how we handle an acquisition from start to finish.

Preliminary discussions

Both your business and Clear must be confident that they align and are potentially a good fit, before anything more formal is set in motion. So, we would arrange an introductory meeting with you to understand what you hope to achieve by selling your business, and what each side can bring to the table.

Depending on whether you have decided you are ready to sell, or are still deciding on the acquisition route, timescales at this stage can vary from a couple of weeks to as many as five years.

Naturally, we appreciate the sensitive and privileged nature of any conversations with potential acquistions. So, we would expect to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to ensure confidentiality as a matter of course. If going ahead with the acquisition deal remains in both parties’ interests, we would go ahead to the next stages.

Factfinding

To help us build a picture of your business, we want to understand:

What you are looking for
Overriders & data on commissions and fees by insurer and product
Learning about the people in your business
Renewal rates
The details of your offices, facilities and key relationships

Additionally, we would arrange meetings with you to explore your business in depth and discuss your business aspirations. We would also talk about what life looks like for you as part of the Clear Group in more detail, and hope to meet any other shareholders who are active in the business at this stage.

Offer

If we continue to make progress and an acquisition deal is starting to take shape, we would make you an offer.

When making our offer, we consider many factors, including the period of earn-out, staging of payments and profitability of the business. Our proposal is often in the form of Heads of Terms, which outline the key points of the transaction and a timetable for the deal.

Once we have signed off the Heads of Terms, we would arrange an exclusivity period with you while we go ahead with the next stage.

Finalising the deal

We take a pragmatic approach when it comes to due diligence and agreeing the key legal documents – the deal has to be fair and work for both sides.

Due diligence

When it comes to finalising the deal, we know that both sides prefer a quick transaction process, so we can move forward into the ‘fun part’ – working together.

We will tailor the diligence scope depending on the size and complexity of each deal to cover legal, financial, tax and regulatory compliance. Our aim is always to get the deal done, not to pick holes in your business – that is never our approach. Timelines are subject to the quality of information provided, of course and readiness of a data room but we would typically expect to conduct due diligence across a 4-to-6-week period. We are a well-resourced team and as such, our capacity will not be a limiting factor in the pace of the transaction. We also recognise that you still need to run your business and we don’t want to impede your day-to-day activities – we’ll move at a pace which suits you.

The legal agreement

Our legal counsel will prepare a draft agreement during the due diligence process, setting out the key terms of the deal to be reviewed and agreed with you and your solicitors.

FCA approval

Most deals require FCA approval to change ownership. Clear handles the change in control application and approval can take up to 12 weeks (although usually less). Once received, we’re ready to complete the deal.

Becoming part of Clear

During the previous due diligence process, you will already have met many of our senior team as well as our excellent integration team. It's their job it is to ensure that the process of joining Clear is as seamless as it can be for you, your employees and your clients. They will deal with everything from managing insurer agencies through to making sure that your IT systems continue to work.

Once the deal is complete, its time to tell your employees. For this step, we like to be on hand to not only support your message but to meet with your employees in person, let them ask us questions, and to reassure them of any concerns that they may naturally have. The Clear Group have a wide range of popular employee benefits that will be available to your staff upon integration. We normally take this opportunity to explain some of them to your team so they can immediately see some of the personal advantages of joining a larger business.

This stage will also include communications, where we will prepare a press release with you as well as letters for clients and insurers. We understand that you may want to talk to some of your key clients in person, and we are also happy to meet with them if this is best for you.

One thing you will find is that the amount of change following the sale is not nearly as dramatic as expected. Our approach is to acquire good businesses that already align with our values and philosophy. So, you will not find us radically changing how you work, dictating how you place business or taking a hatchet to your staff numbers or costs. We will offer the support that a larger business can offer, but in a collaborative way: we take on more of the administration and compliance workload, leaving you to look after your clients - to do what you do best.

Hear from some of our previous acquisition partners

"While we had been approached by other acquiring brokers before, there was something special about Clear. The feeling of trust and understanding we experienced during our discussions reinforced our belief that they were the perfect fit for LawSure. Their genuine interest in our team and clients reassured us that this partnership would bring nothing but positive outcomes. Now, a year later, LawSure stands stronger than ever, flourishing as part of a much larger commercial broker. The partnership with Clear has offered us a wealth of resources and support while affording the freedom to continue growing our business. Clear’s commitment to preserving our vision within the wider group has proven true, enabling us to thrive and embrace the future with confidence".

Mandy Brown

LawSure

"After building our high net worth private client brokerage for 20 years, we decided it was time to join forces with a larger broker for the next stage in our journey. Through reviewing all the interest we received, Clear emerged as the winner by some margin. This was due to their exceptional offer, their understanding of our business and friendly approach. It was crucial to us that we found a good fit for Porticus and that our new partner would offer genuine benefits for our clients as well as for our employees. Now that we have settled in, we are very confident and happy that we have achieved this".

Bill Baker

Porticus Insurance Consultants

"First and foremost, the cultural fit between ProAktive and the Clear Group is excellent. Both organisations prioritise people, integrity, and innovation, making collaboration intrinsic in the process. One of the standout aspects of our transition to the Clear Group has been their lite touch approach. Rather than imposing rigid structures or overwhelming processes, they've embraced a more flexible and adaptable style. This has allowed us to maintain our unique identity and strengths while benefiting from the resources and expertise of a larger organisation. Looking back, I have no doubt that joining the Clear Group was the right decision for ProAktive. The synergy between our companies is undeniable, and together, we're poised to achieve even greater heights. I'm excited about the future we're building together and grateful for the opportunity to be part of such an inspiring journey".

Andy Morley

ProAktive

Let’s evolve together

As a growing group, we are looking to partner with like minded brokers, with a desire to protect, excel and succeed together.

Joining Clear means you have the opportunity to continue to drive your own agenda but with the benefits of a larger group, alongside cross border opportunities, and chances for further expansion.

During the consultation process, each conversation we have is confidential and bespoke as we recognise that every brand is unique. Within our process, we provide a succession plan to ensure the past, present and future of every brand is considered.

We take a stakeholder approach because we care about people, because we know that if we look after our clients and employees, and do the right thing, the experience we offer will be set up for success.

Get in touch

We have a well resourced team of specialists that deliver and support you along the journey. Contact our specialists today to confidentially discuss your business aspirations, regardless of your broker size.

Howard Lickens

Executive Chairman

+44 20 8329 4903

Andreas Luberichs

CEO Europe

+49 40 8221 24194

Paul Beck

M&A Director

+44 20 7870 2349

Ben Nash

M&A Director

Conor O'Gorman

M&A Director

Emma O'Driscoll

M&A Director

An internal view of the acquisition process

Claire’s hybrid role as Senior Account Handler and Account Executive is located in our acquired Doncaster branch at ProAktive, where she handles a varied book of risks across many different trades and sectors.

The journey here

I joined ProAktive in June 2021 and never looked back, due to the opportunities provided. As an ambitious person, I wanted career progression so was attracted to ProAktive as I saw that they had multiple women in senior positions, different to my previous companies. I knew that at ProAktive, my gender was not going to hold me back, and I was right. I work closely with our Broking Director who encouraged me to do my Fellowship, building from ACII to completing my FCII in January 2023. ProAktive have nurtured my career development in a short space of time.

The acquisition

I didn’t want to become a number purely focused on profits, so joined ProAktive because they were a large independent with core values to put people first. So, I was initially apprehensive when ProAktive was acquired by the Clear Group as a large corporate broker, but trusted the board’s decision that Clear must be a good fit.

From the outset of the acquistion, the communication from both companies – which was key - was great, as we had the opportunity to talk freely about any concerns that we had. I remember Howard and the board from Clear coming to our office and saying that it would be the biggest ‘none event’ – and he was true to his word.

Slowly over the next 12 months, we were introduced to more people throughout the Clear Group. We were invited to their annual all-staff event, which was a lot of fun and I am delighted to say that my fear of being part of a large corporate broker is no longer there. Clear Group in my opinion is very similar to ProAktive as they have aligned values. No matter who you speak to at Clear, they are friendly and helpful – regardless of their position in the company. I have never been made to feel inferior and know I could go to anyone senior in Clear with a concern or suggestion and I would be heard.

The future

I am now really excited about integrating with Clear. Since the initial announcement I have seen the benefits of being part of a larger organisation first-hand. This includes enhanced relationships with insurers, access to more markets for difficult to place risks (which both contribute delivers better outcomes for our clients) and contact with in-house specialists who are happy to share their knowledge.

Clear also care about their people through offering enhanced benefits and supportive networks such as Female Alliance in Business that I have already joined, where I am particularly looking forward to getting to know my new colleagues better.

This is an exciting time to be part of Clear, we are now serious competition but still have the feel of an independent – I certainly don’t just feel like a number, and know that I am valued by my organisation.