Aston Lark promotes internally to fill new integration director role

Goldman Sachs-backed broker Aston Lark has promoted Bethan Jones to the newly created role of integration director, to assist with the organisation’s acquisition management.

In her new role, Jones will have responsibility for overseeing the successful integration of all Aston Lark’s acquisitions. So far this year, the broker has bought 11 businesses.

Jones initially started her insurance career at Thomas Carroll back in 2004, working her way from a broker into a group operations role. A family relocation from Wales to Kent in 2017 then saw her join Aston Scott prior to its merger with Lark Group.

She joined Aston Lark’s board in 2019 and currently provides leadership across the broker’s project office and application teams. She has also assisted with its data and analytics capability.

She will retain these functions in her new position, as well as taking on acquisition integration responsibilities.

Peter Blanc, Aston Lark group chief executive, said: “It won’t have escaped anyone’s notice that Aston Lark has been rather busy on the acquisition front over the last couple of years.

“We are determined to become the UK and Ireland’s most trusted chartered insurance broker and each acquisition that we make helps to make us stronger as a business.

“It is however absolutely vital that we don’t just ‘collect brokers’, but instead carefully plan and integrate each acquisition so that it truly feels part of Aston Lark and enables both the vendors and the rest of Aston Lark to benefit fully from joining forces.

“Bethan has been with Aston Lark for almost four years and is our ‘go to’ expert for all things operational. As a chartered insurance broker in her own right, Bethan has a completely unique skill set – she understands insurance broking but also truly understands systems, data, [management information] and the importance of integration.

“We are therefore delighted to announce that we have promoted Bethan into this role and her appointment should give any companies that are thinking of joining forces with Aston Lark the confidence that they are in very safe hands.”

Jones added: “I am delighted to take on the role of integration director for the group. I am incredibly passionate about ensuring all parties have a successful outcome following an acquisition and I strive to ensure decisions are made with vendors ahead of the deal completion, so there are no surprises.

“In growing at our current pace, successful integration is vital to ensure we retain operational cohesion across the group and I am privileged to work with an incredibly supportive executive board at Aston Lark that share my passion for doing things the right way.”