AXA broking arm is renamed 'Bluefin'.
Venture Preference has announced that it will rebrand as ‘Bluefin’ from January 2009.
The rebranding, which will be phased across 2008 and 2009, will include a transitional period during which the existing business names, including Smart & Cook, Layton Blackham, Stuart Alexander, The Davis Group and SBJ UK will be used jointly with the new brand.
The new brand will also bring together the Thinc Group companies, PIFC and SBJ Benefit Consultants to form a major financial services provider under a single brand offering expertise in insurance broking, financial advice and consultancy.
Stuart Reid, chief executive of Venture Preference, said: "Bluefin is a complete financial services provider and will offer expertise across insurance broking, financial advice and consultancy. We are combining the strengths of Venture Preference and Thinc under the new brand while maintaining our considerable expertise in our current areas of operation.
"In the general insurance broking market our focus over the last two years has been on building Venture Preference into a business of real scale and expertise. We have focussed particularly on the areas of SME, mid to large corporates and our specialist niche products, as well as further developing our network partnership offering for brokers. This new development will see the creation of a business able to offer expertise across the range of financial services and marks out Bluefin as a powerful player in broking and advice.’
Under the new brand, the company will retain its local presence, focusing on building relationships with clients to keep in touch with their needs and offer them expert independent advice. The business also benefits from the backing of AXA, one of the largest financial services companies in the world.
Following the introduction of the new brand in January 2009, Stuart Reid, currently chief executive of Venture Preference Ltd, will become chief executive of Bluefin Insurance Group Ltd and John Simmonds, currently chief executive of Advisory Services Ltd, will become chief executive of Bluefin Advisory Services Ltd.
