Howden enters market with acquisition

Howden has announced its agreement to acquire C.R.F. Conseils (CRF), an independent broker specialising in Financial Lines. This is Howden’s first acquisition in France since appointing Nicolas Aubert as CEO, Howden France, and will enable Howden to launch operational capabilities in this key market.

Founded in 1999, CRF focuses on financial lines, a key area of the future of Howden’s offering in France both for local and international clients. Like Howden, CRF leverages strong technical knowledge to accelerate the creation of innovative solutions for clients.

Nicolas Aubert, CEO, Howden France, commented: “This acquisition is the best way to launch ourselves in France as a credible and differentiating alternative. The CRF team have best-in-class backgrounds and reputations in the market and their decision to join Howden is a signal to the market of our commitment to build a new broker in France, which is founded on expertise and quality of talent and that brings value to all of our stakeholders, including entrepreneurial talent, clients and insurance partners.”

Didier Arminjon, CEO, CRF said: “We have been approached several times to sell our business, which we have always declined. Why? Our autonomy and the entrepreneurial side of our business are essential. We strongly believed that we would only join a group that shares our DNA and having had the opportunity to meet the leaders of Howden on various occasions, and to listen to them talk about their culture, their values, their priorities, their vision, we knew that Howden could be the ideal partner for us.”

Luigi Sturani, CEO, Howden Europe said: “In a market that is crying out for European-focused alternatives our strategy is simple: to develop a strong territorial presence in Europe and offer a unique range of specialty solutions for our clients. We will accomplish this by attracting the best entrepreneurial talent and like-minded companies, and by growing organically. The acquisition of CRF is a great initial step in our ambition to position ourselves among the leading brokers in France and I am looking forward to welcoming the team to Howden.”