Howden acquires Bridges Insurance Services

Howden acquires Bridges Insurance Services, establishing its national presence in New Zealand

Hamilton, New Zealand, 5 June 2024: Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, announces today that it has acquired Bridges Insurance Services (Bridges), a general insurance broker based in the commercial centre of Hamilton, New Zealand (NZ). This acquisition follows the recent acquisitions of Wallace McLean and Apex Group in NZ, accelerating Howden’s strategy to build a leading insurance broking operation in the Pacific region.

Established in 1990, Bridges is a leading insurance broker in NZ under the leadership of its founder, Ron Bridges and Director, Chris Rolfe. It is focused on mid-market and SME business, and services approximately 7,500 customers. Bridges will play an integral role in Howden’s NZ business, materially broadening Howden’s product offering to better serve SME and corporate clients in the country.

Matt Bacon, CEO, Howden Pacific commented: “We are honoured that Bridges have chosen to partner with Howden and are very proud to be part of the next chapter in their journey. Bridges have a strong track record in the NZ insurance market and have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to client service. Bridges will expand our presence into a new region in NZ and complements our existing business in the country, where we are strongly positioned to provide clients with access to industry leading insurance solutions and expertise.” 

Ron Bridges, Director, Bridges Insurance said: “After 34 years of independence, the decision to join Howden is one that we didn’t take lightly. In the end we felt that culturally Howden was aligned with our existing values, focusing on our people and clients. Becoming part of Howden creates a myriad of opportunities for the benefit of our clients, such as their international reach, expertise and data and analytics capabilities. With Chris Rolfe becoming Managing Director and all the management team including myself staying actively involved, continuity and a level of comfort for our clients will be achieved. We are thoroughly excited about what the future holds.”