Sell Side Advisory

Sell Side Advisory for Insurance Brokers and Wealth management Firms

Finding the right fit and creating value

Selling or perpetuating your business is a huge decision and often the culmination of years of entrepreneurship. It’s also a challenging task with many implications. Knowing your buyer is key. Through our sell side advisory, clients benefit from MarshBerry’s sell side advisory clients benefit from our ability to harness deep sector knowledge and data-driven insights to achieve your end goal and maximise the return on years of hard work.

As a broker or wealth manager you know the value of expert advice. And putting your business up for sale is something you will probably do only once in your lifetime. Having the confidence and peace of mind of knowing you’re doing the right thing is why clients choose MarshBerry as their trusted advisor. Experienced sell side advisors are with you every step of the way helping you navigate throughout the entire deal process.

The MarshBerry team helps you:

  • Understand what your firm is worth and help position your firm for a sale
  • Find the right fit for your staff and clients, securing your reputation
  • Negotiate and close the best possible deal


FROM STRATEGIC PLANNING TO POST-DEAL MANAGEMENT

Strategic Planning & Business Evaluation

  • Defining strategic goals
  • Carrying out seller due diligence
  • Valuing your business

Preparation & Representation

  • Drawing up the information memorandum
  • Creating a buyer profile and selecting buyers
  • Analyzing bids and negotiating terms

Closing & Post-Closing

  • Drawing up the letter of intent
  • Drawing up the sale and purchase agreement
  • Post-closing integration

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Contact The Advisory Team

MarshBerry’s team of advisors are thought leaders and experts in the insurance brokers and wealth management industries. As a client, your firm benefits from their combined hands-on experience and professional designations in finance, accounting and economics. No matter what your needs are, they have the understanding to craft a personalized solution.

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Michel Schaft
Managing Director
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Armand Hoftijzer
Managing Director
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Olly Laughton-Scott
Managing Director
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Fred Hansson
Managing Director
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John Nisbet
Managing Director
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Marcel van Dijk
Director
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Marcin Patkowski
Director
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Joost Mulder
Associate Director
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Frits van Deijk
Associate Director
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Yannick Limburg
Manager
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Jan Blumenthal
Independent Advisor
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Michel Schaft
Managing Director

Michel Schaft joined MarshBerry in 2017 as an Independent Consultant and is currently Managing Director of MarshBerry.

Armand Hoftijzer
Managing Director

Armand Hoftijzer helps real estate agents in the Netherlands and Europe further with their growth strategy. Since February 2021, he has been linking his expertise and experience to MarshBerry's methodologies and data.

Olly Laughton-Scott
Managing Director

As Managing Director of MarshBerry’s UK office, Olly spearheads efforts to help clients prepare, market and execute transactions by utilizing data rich insights and market perspectives to help them build, enhance and sustain value.

Olly founded IMAS Corporate Finance LLP in 1992 and was responsible for the development of IMAS-insight, IMAS’S central knowledge-based system. He was involved in the majority of IMAS’ transactions and is highly experienced in what makes for a successful transaction and making it happen.

Prior to his roles at MarshBerry and IMAS, he worked for Cazenove and Kleinwort Benson. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Anderson and has a degree in Economics from Exeter University.

Olly takes pride in building long-lasting relationships with decision-makers across the financial services sector based on his knowledge and insights.

Fred Hansson
Managing Director

As Managing Director of MarshBerry’s UK office, Fred specalises in advising businesses in the wealth and asset management sectors and related areas. He has extensive experience of domestic and international merger & acquisitions (M&A) and capital markets transactions, having focused on corporate finance throughout his career.

Fred was a Partner at IMAS Corporate Finance LLP before it was acquired by MarshBerry and, prior to joining IMAS, he worked briefly for Singer & Friedlander and spent most of his career at JPMorgan Cazenove and Handelsbanken Investment Banking.

Fred trained as an accountant with Touche Ross and holds a BA with honours degree in Economics from Durham University.

John Nisbet
Managing Director

As Managing Director of MarshBerry’s UK office, John brings a wealth of corporate finance experience in financial services and, in particular, UK insurance.

John has extensive advisory experience and has advised on multiple transactions covering both public and private M&A as well as IPOs. He particularly specialises in the insurance and has completed multiple deals in the UK, as well as several other European markets. He has extensive experience acting for carriers, including  RSA, MS Amlin and Hiscox. In recent years he has focused mainly on insurance distribution, advising the sellers of a wide range of broking businesses and MGAs. He is the author of the IMAS (now MarshBerry) annual UK Insurance Distribution M&A Annual Review.

Prior to joining MarshBerry, John was a Partner at IMAS Corporate Finance LLP. In addition, he spent more than ten years at N M Rothschild & Sons in its London-based financial services group. John began his career at Ernst & Young and is a Chartered Accountant.

John has an MA in History from the University of Glasgow and a MSc in Finance from the University of Aberdeen.

Marcel van Dijk
Director

Marcel van Dijk joined MarshBerry in 2022. Focusing on strategic consulting, Marcel brings to MarshBerry extensive knowledge in business planning and execution.

Prior to joining MarshBerry, Marcel was the Commercial Director of several (global) insurance brands. At the helm of commercial strategies, Marcel is credited with strong business sense, determined decision making, focused action plans and, as a result, strong growth ratios.

Marcel also has a background as a strategy consultant at KPMG’s global boutique firm Nolan, Norton & Co., working with CEO, board, and senior managers to provide strategic, unbiased advice for various business decisions and goals.

His current focus is to position MarshBerry as a thought leader in Europe’s financial markets, bringing MarshBerry’s proprietary expertise to brokers and wealth management firms and guiding MarshBerry’s clients in robust business planning.

Marcel holds both bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration and public administration from the Radboud University, Nijmegen.

Marcin Patkowski
Director

Marcin is a specialist with 25 years transaction, commercial and management experience and brings extensive buy-and-build expertise in the insurance brokerage space. Within MarshBerry’s Financial Advisory practice, Marcin focusses on merger & acquisition (M&A) transactions, primarily in Europe.

As part of his responsibilities Marcin manages acquisitions from identification of targets through the negotiation/execution phase to post-closing integration. Marcin has a deep understanding of transaction dynamics as well as the technical complexities.

Before joining MarshBerry, Marcin managed the private equity department of a Dutch family office investing in insurance brokers and Managing General Agents (MGA’s). There he completed over 30 transactions to form the Heinenoord group. Additionally, Marcin worked for 10 years as Senior M&A Counsel for Hexion, a portfolio company of Apollo Global Management – one of the world’s leading private equity investors. He started his career at EY where he worked in the Rotterdam and New York offices.

Marcin received his MBA from the Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management and his Law degree from the Utrecht University. Marcin is fluent in English, Dutch, German and Polish.

Joost Mulder
Associate Director

Joost Mulder joined MarshBerry in 2019 and is an Associate Director for the international branch of MarshBerry in the Netherlands. His primary responsibilities include merger & acquisition (M&A) advisory, assisting both with buy side and sell side transactions, financial analysis and strategic consulting.

Frits van Deijk
Associate Director

Frits van Deijk joined MarshBerry in 2023 as an Associate Director in the firms Amsterdam, the Netherlands, office. Frits’ expertise includes merger & acquisition advisory, assisting with buy side and sell side transactions, and financial analysis.

Yannick Limburg
Manager

Yannick Limburg is an Associate at MarshBerry. His primary responsibilities include financial analysis and buy and sell side merger & acquisition ("M&A") advisory assistance.

Jan Blumenthal
Independent Advisor

As an independent consultant, Jan represents MarshBerry’s full spectrum of insurance brokerage and corporate finance advisory solutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Prior to joining MarshBerry in May of 2023, Jan was general representative of Lloyd’s Insurance Company S.A. and Country Manager Germany and Austria for 12 years. Before that he was Member of the Management Board of Willis in Germany responsible for international business and Client management. Until 2000, Jan was with Aon Germany as Head of Client Services in the Frankfurt region.

From 1987 until 1991, he was Vice President of Joost & Preuss, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia USA.

He started his broking career in 1983 with the German Broker Joost & Preuss Group, which was later taken over by Jauch & Hübener.

Jans dominating skills are focusing on customer relations and international business development.

His role at MarshBerry is to develop the market and especially relations with the Broker community in the Dach Region.

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MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Stonehatch Risk Solutions Limited

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MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to RS Insurance Brokers Limited

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MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Certe Groep

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United Kingdom

MarshBerry acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Eastcote Wealth Management

March 2024 Hg Capital induver and Clover Hg Capital has invested in induver and Clover Belgium

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to induver

December 2023 Howden  VLC & Partners Holding Acquisition

Howden has acquired VLC & Partners Holding

The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Howden

October 2023 Brown & Brown Berkeley Insurance Group Acquisition Brown & Brown has acquired Berkeley Insurance Group United Kingdom

IMAS acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Maxted Capital Limited, the holding company of Berkley Insurance Group*

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IMAS acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Miles Archer Limited*

May 2023 Specialist Risk Group The Medical Professional Liability Company Limited Acquisition

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United Kingdom

IMAS acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Crown Agents Bank*

March 2023 Arthur J. Gallagher & Co FE Protect Acquisition

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United Kingdom

IMAS acted as the exclusive financial advisor to AT Squared Holdings Limited (FE Protect)*

March 2023 Gilde Equity Management De Croes Adviesgroep Acquisition

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The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to De Croes Adviesgroep

March 2023 Gilde Equity Management Velthuis Assurantien Acquisition

Gilde Equity Management has acquired Velthuis Assurantien 

The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Velthuis Assurantien

March 2023 Gilde Equity Management Holtkamp Assurantien Acquisition

Gilde Equity Management has acquired Holtkamp Assurantien

The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Holtkamp Assurantien

March 2023 Gilde Equity Management Asbroek Adviesgroep Acquisition

Gilde Equity Management has acquired Asbroek Adviesgroep

The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Asbroek Adviesgroep

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Gilde Equity Management has acquired De Bedrijfsverzekeraar

The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to De Bedrijfsverzekeraar

March 2023 Gilde Equity Management Baartman Assurantien Acquisition

Gilde Equity Management has acquired Baartman Assurantien 

The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Baartman Assurantien

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The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Scharenborg Beltrum

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The Netherlands

MarshBerry served as the financial advisor to Kok Advies