Early this year, Woodgate & Clark and Van Ameyde UK – two subsidiaries of the Van Ameyde Group –announced plans to merge into a single entity under the Woodgate & Clark brand.
Beginning in January, the integration process is expected to conclude by Monday, March 3, and sees Egon Scheers (pictured), MD of Van Ameyde UK joining the Woodgate & Clark board, with all Van Ameyde UK employees transferring to the Woodgate & Clark team. Discussing the integration in an interview with Insurance Business, he noted that it was driven by the complementary strengths of businesses and the opportunity to streamline operations and support future growth.
The combined business will look to offer a comprehensive service offering across commercial property, liability, household, and automotive claims. “Van Ameyde UK is very experienced but predominantly in the automotive markets – and within the automotive markets, the foreign claims markets… At the same time, Woodgate & Clark has a well-known brand within the UK in the household and commercial property claims and loss adjusting markets.
“There are some overlaps but there’s lots of room to join forces and, in doing that, I think we can bring a lot of benefits not only for our companies but also our staff, our clients and their customers.” The deal had been in consideration for a few years by the time it came about, Scheers said, and the leadership teams at both businesses felt the time was right because, when it comes to a complex integration, “there’s never a good moment and, at the same time, it’s always a good moment”.
Essentially, he said, the Van Ameyde UK and Woodgate & Clark teams will be working alongside new colleagues but these will be individuals already familiar with and ingrained in the culture.
For the Van Ameyde UK team that means gaining access to the corporate structure of Woodgate & Clark, while for Woodgate & Clark, the shake-up means that alongside, its household and property claims branches, it will have a new automotive aspect.
The combined entity will focus on expanding its third-party administrator (TPA) claim-handling capabilities and strengthening its position in both domestic and international markets. “Van Ameyde UK brings a lot of experienced, motivated and dedicated colleagues which will help [the business] broaden its perspective outside of the household and property branches,” Scheers said. “For the market, I think it’s always good to have an alternative, for every client. And this combination will bring a very new alternative.”
He advised that getting that piece right comes down to making the right investments in the right innovations to ensure you can do the right thing by your insurance partners and customers. A strong integration comes down to finding the right combination of strengths that are required to be better than ever for staff, for the business, and most importantly for clients and their customers.
As to how the market has reacted to the news, Scheers said people seem to recognise the complementary nature of the businesses, and clients are interested in what this integration could mean for them.
Reflecting on the process of the integration itself and sharing his advice on how to complete a successful transition, Scheers noted that he has done a lot of integrations in the past but that the process was slightly different as both of the businesses already belonged to the same group. “So, we already knew each other and that’s always helpful,” he said. “We share the same values and that’s very important.
“But, of course, it is a change. It's a change for the people of Van Ameyde UK, it’s a change for the people of Woodgate & Clark. Every change brings its own worries and questions. We looked to address that from the start by being very transparent and very communicative, which I think has been embraced by our people. We have been able to address our people’s worries and show that this is not a story of negative change but one of positive change for the company, for the clients and customers, but also for staff.”
