Two have become one with Lark & Aston Scott announcing that their proposed merger has been finalised, as of yesterday.
The combined business had its deal granted FCA approval yesterday and today the firm has wasted no time in announcing its new group structure.
Among the notable changes are that Peter Blanc, formerly CEO of Aston Scott, will take the role of group CEO; while Stephen Lark, managing director of Lark, becomes executive chairman responsible for HR, marketing and the employee benefits division.
Other key moves include Stuart Rootham, previously the managing director of Aston Scott, becoming group managing director; Carl Brown moving into the role of chief financial officer having previously been director of finance, IT and facilities at Lark; Tim Holland, Aston’s former CFO, taking on the role of director of mergers and acquisitions; while Graham Lark, formerly chairman of Lark, will move on from his day to day involvement in the business and instead take up a non-executive director role.
The initial merger was announced back in June and since then a clear divisional structure has been established.
There will be a commercial division led by Rob Keene. This will include the regional branch network of 15 offices. Meanwhile, there will also be a commercial schemes business fronted by Lee Scott; a private clients division led by David Foster which will focus on HNW and include specialist areas such as Lark Music, Click 4 Quote and Renovation Plan; and an employee benefits division led by Andrew Cousins that will focus on pensions, life, private medical and income protection for SMEs.
“I am delighted to announce our appointments and new group structure,” said Peter Blanc, group CEO. “We are fully committed to creating a true merger of both businesses and implementation of this new structure is a great first step.
“The vision of the board of the new integrated business is that we aim to become the UK’s most trusted Chartered Insurance Broker, delivering for our clients with passion, integrity and expertise.”
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