• The Adelaïde Group, a key European player in insurance brokerage, announces the appointment of Benjamin Verlingue as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer with effect from today.
• This appointment is coupled with a new strategic plan, Better Future 28, which aims to consolidate the Group’s position by doubling sales by 2028, while preserving its independent, family-owned identity.
Benjamin Verlingue, previously Deputy CEO, takes over from Jacques Verlingue, who will become Chairman of the Group Strategy Committee. He will be supported by Gilles Bénéplanc and Audrey Verlingue, both Deputy CEOs. Following a carefully planned transition, the helm of the Group has now been handed over to the fourth generation of the founding family, demonstrating the continuity and family commitment that have always underpinned Adelaïde’s strategy.
New governance and a new strategic plan for 2028
This latest step in an entrepreneurial saga marked by nine decades of growth comes at a time of rapid expansion, with the Group tripling its sales over the last ten years.
“I am extremely proud to hand over the helm to Benjamin, accompanied by his sister Audrey, whose experience and vision are major assets for the future of the Group. In his previous roles, Benjamin proved his leadership and strategic vision. I am confident in his knowledge of the business, in his ambition and his determination to uphold our business model to ensure our continued development in a constantly changing environment,” says Jacques Verlingue, former Chairman of the Adelaïde Group.
“I am very proud and enthusiastic to be taking on this new role. Under Jacques Verlingue’s leadership, Adelaïde has become a major European brokerage player and has seen its turnover grow substantially. At a time when risk management is a growing challenge, I am going to devote my energy to continuing to grow the Group by contributing to a better future for all our stakeholders, while preserving the Group’s independence over the long term,” adds Benjamin Verlingue, the new Chairman and CEO of the Adelaïde Group
The Better Future 28 plan is part of this drive and reveals a clear ambition: to double the Group’s turnover by 2028 to €800m. Adelaïde intends to establish itself as the leading family brokerage company on the European market, where it is already active in France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal, to advise and support its clients as a trusted partner over the long term.
The Better Future 28 strategic plan is structured around four main areas:
• Organic and external growth: the Group’s growth is based on the long-term trust placed in us by our clients. This sustained organic growth will be accompanied by continued acquisitions, with development in new countries, new areas of expertise and new market segments. The Group has developed an ability to unite talented entrepreneurs around an industrial vision, keen to further accelerate their growth and innovation trajectories.
• Developing human capital: the forthcoming Adelaïde University aims to further enhance the Group’s ability to develop its employees through a multi-year training plan, the digitalisation of programmes and the development of skills certification. Modernising the way we work and improving the quality of life at work are also priorities.
• Technological innovation: as the base of the Group’s independence and its ability to provide clients with high added value, the Better Future 28 plan aims to ensure the continued upgrading of the main information system, to accelerate the use of data and artificial intelligence, to develop workstations through the creation of a digital workplace and to continue to improve cyber security.
• A positive impact: we will be stepping up our actions in local areas with the aim of leaving a positive footprint. We want to help our clients to grow and prosper, by supporting them through the expected social, societal and environmental transitions. Our ESG approach, integrated into our business model, reflects this enthusiastic desire to “do our bit”. As part of this, we aim to develop balanced, long-term relationships with insurers and other risk carriers in order to offer our clients the best possible cover solutions.
Leading companies in their core markets
With a team of more than 2,500 employees, the Adelaïde Group has set itself the target of recruiting more than 250 new talents in 2024. The Group will continue to promote training, integration and development policies to foster the career development of its employees.
The plan also unveils a firm commitment to operational excellence for each subsidiary:
• Verlingue, which specialises in corporate insurance brokerage, is aiming for a new stage in its growth, with an aggregate turnover target of €450 million in 2028 and the employment of 400 new employees in France and Europe.
• Génération aims to reinforce its status as the benchmark Third-Party Administrator (TPA) in social protection, with a target of 3.5 million policyholders with health insurance cover and 1.5 million with personal protection cover by 2028.
• Cocoon, which specialises in individual insurance, aims to double in size by 2028 by offering tailored insurance solutions for families and their households based on ethical and responsible practices.
A commitment to financial and non-financial performance
The Better Future 28 plan also focuses on non-financial performance, integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues at all levels of the company. A growing company since its foundation, the Adelaïde Group has set itself 9 clear performance indicators for 2028 that illustrate its commitment
to pursuing sustainable and balanced growth while strengthening its role as a trusted partner for all stakeholders in facing the transitions ahead:
• Turnover of €800m
• 6 million policyholders
• Volume of premiums brokered: €6bn
• 100% of employees trained in major transitions and ESG issues
• 15% of employees certified at Adelaïde University
• 2-fold increase in the number of mobility schemes
• 98% client retention rate
• 95% customer satisfaction
• 50/50: Gender balance among managers