Unitas chief Mark Boucher to step down in March next year

Unitas Alliance executive director Mark Boucher will be leaving the organisation in March 2011.

Boucher, who joined Unitas as executive director in 2007, said he was stepping down because he had completed his objective in helping the brokers’ group expand.

In a further change at the top, Tim Ryan will take up the chairman’s role on 1 January next year. The managing director of Ryan Insurance Group will replace current chairman Kevin MacEvoy, who is also chairman of Sutton Winson.

Ryan revealed Boucher’s departure to the Unitas conference in Leicester last Thursday. “We will be implementing a recruitment strategy under my leadership as incoming chairman,” Ryan said.

“Obviously Mark is a difficult person to replace. However, with his support we will be ensuring a very smooth transition to the new management of Unitas.”

Boucher, previously director of RSA’s London specialist businesses and a managing director in Aon’s London market international division, said his departure was amicable.

Boucher said: “I’ve had a fantastic time at Unitas, and it has been great to help develop the potential of the alliance.

“I have no fixed plans and I look forward to seeing what opportunities might arise in what I think are going to be a very exciting next couple of years.”

Unitas is a nationwide support group of brokers, who offer each other advice and business connections. They have a shared panel of insurers and access to Lloyd’s through accredited brokers.

On 1 January next year, Unitas will expand to include its 12th member, WPS Insurance Brokers. WPS, which is based in Plymouth, controls a gross written premium (GWP) of around £13m and mainly deals with commercial lines. Unitas members control around £900m GWP nationally.

WPS managing director Steve Rowlands said: “We felt that we wanted to remain as fiercely independent as we are, but we do feel on occasion a little bit isolated down in the West Country.

“It would be beneficial for us on several levels to become part of a wider community whereby we could share knowledge and pool resources.”