The Clear Group

What The Clear Group does

The Clear Group is an independent Chartered Insurance broker founded in 2001 and headquartered in London, operating across the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe through a diversified platform of acquired insurance brands. The Group handles £1bn+ in gross written premiums (GWP) across approximately 1,000 employees and 35+ locations, with revenue generated primarily through brokerage commissions, MGA underwriting premiums, broker network membership, wholesale placement, and SaaS technology licensing. Core subsidiaries include Clear Insurance Management (retail broking with Lloyd's broker registration), Shape Underwriting (MGA capability consolidated from Profile Underwriting and One Commercial Specialty, plus Shape Digital and Shape Underwriting Ireland), Brokerbility (membership community of independent brokers placing £1bn+ GWP), Brokertech (cloud-based SaaS insurance platform with API-architected infrastructure writing £100m+ premium annually across three continents), Lilley Plummer Risks (wholesale broker with Lloyd's and London market access), and Clear Management Europe (continental European expansion entity established 2023).

The Group has executed an aggressive, programmatic acquisition strategy — over 50 acquisitions since 2001 — to build specialist capabilities across commercial, professional, and niche insurance sectors including construction, cyber, legal indemnity, professional indemnity, marine, HNW private client, and MGA underwriting. Backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management since June 2022 (following ECI Partners' 2018-2022 tenure), the Group is led by Group CEO Mike Edgeley (joined January 2021, ex-A-Plan/Capita/BGL Group, 17 years military) and a senior team drawn from Hastings Group, Simply Business, RSA, Miller, JLT, and Marsh. The acquisition model preserves acquired brand identities, local expertise, and operational autonomy while delivering centralized capital, market access, and back-office scale. The Group is FCA-regulated, holds Chartered Insurance Broker status from the CII, is a Lloyd's registered broker and Lloyd's approved coverholder, and was the first UK insurance broker to set a Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net Zero commitment.

Name

The Clear Group

Legal name

Clear Group (Holdings) Limited

Website

https://thecleargroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage Services

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Mid-Market Commercial Package (Package Policies) (FSAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage services
• MGA underwriting
• Wholesale insurance
• Broker network management
• Commercial insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Clear Insurance Management operates as an independent insurance broker earning commissions from insurers for placing business. The company handles over £1bn in gross written premiums across its broker operations.
2. MGA Underwriting Premiums: Shape Underwriting manages general agent operations underwriting non-standard, specialist and niche commercial insurance products. The MGA contributes approximately £19m in gross written premiums and insures over 160,000 businesses and individuals.
3. Broker Network Membership: Brokerbility operates as a membership community of independent brokers placing over £1bn of GWP, with the network providing collective strength and market access.
4. Wholesale Brokerage: Lilley Plummer Risks provides UK and international brokers access to Lloyd's and London market, operating as a wholesale broker with rapid growth since 2019.
5. Technology Solutions Licensing: Brokertech provides SaaS Insurance solutions writing over £100m of premium annually across three continents for MGAs, brokers, underwriters and syndicates.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Clear Group is an independent Chartered Insurance broker that distributes commercial, professional, and specialty insurance through a diversified platform. Core operations include retail insurance brokerage (Clear Insurance Management), Managing General Agent underwriting (Shape Underwriting), wholesale Lloyd's and London market access (Lilley Plummer Risks), a broker membership network (Brokerbility), and a SaaS insurance technology platform (Brokertech). The Group places over £1bn in gross written premiums across the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe for corporate, SME, and specialist niche clients.

Product overview

The Clear Group operates as a diversified insurance intermediary platform comprising multiple interconnected brands: its core retail insurance broking business (Clear Insurance Management), geographic expansions (Clear Insurance Ireland, Clear Management Europe), wholesale operations (Lilley Plummer Risks), MGA capabilities (Shape Underwriting with Shape Underwriting Ireland and Shape Digital), a broker network (Brokerbility), and technology solutions (Brokertech SaaS platform). The group has pursued an aggressive acquisition strategy since 2001, now numbering over 50 acquisitions, to build specialist capabilities across commercial, professional, niche, and specialty insurance lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clear Insurance Management Independent chartered insurance broker covering UK and Ireland, focused on the UK corporate and SME market, offering award-winning insurance cover for businesses, people and individuals. Registered Lloyd's broker providing direct access to global underwriting capacity.
• Clear Insurance Ireland Irish commercial insurance brokerage (formerly MBC Insurance) specialising in delivering specialist insurance guidance and tailored coverage to professionals including plant and tool hirers, forklift hirers, sales operators, SME businesses, and technology/IT businesses.
• Clear Management Europe (CME) European expansion entity building presence across continental European markets through acquisition of insurance brokers, underwriters, agencies and teams focusing on commercial and industrial insurance.
• Lilley Plummer Risks Wholesale insurance broker providing UK and international brokers access to Lloyd's and London market. Multi-class international wholesaler evolved from a leading Marine specialist since its inception in 2019.
• Shape Underwriting Managing General Agent operating across the UK and Ireland as a specialist underwriting business. Full member of the MGAA and Lloyd's approved coverholder, providing non-standard, specialist and niche commercial insurance products.
• Shape Underwriting Ireland Commercial MGA and Lloyd's Coverholder operating in Ireland and Northern Ireland since 2007, dealing exclusively through brokers and offering commercial insurance solutions including Liability, Material Damage and BI, Property Owners, Contractors All Risks, Personal Accident & Illness, and Professional Indemnity.
• Shape Digital Specialist digital MGA (formerly Accelerate Underwriting) founded in 2015, offering bespoke products backed by A-rated insurers. Uses data and customer insights to build e-traded solutions, simplifying placement of schemes, affinity partnerships and non-standard insurance with focus on Property & Casualty business.
• Brokerbility Membership community of independent, professional brokers united by shared values with commitment to growth and service excellence. Members place in excess of £1bn of GWP, providing collective strength, market access and superior insurer deals.
• Brokertech SaaS Insurance platform providing scheme solutions to MGAs, brokers, underwriters and syndicates. Modern cloud-based technology with wholesale, B2C and back-office applications. API-architected infrastructure enables product launch in under six weeks, writing over £100m of premium annually across three continents.
• Techinsure

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, supporting and strategic.

• Zurich InsurancemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Zurich Insurance collaborated with Clear on Major Loss Award win at British Insurance Awards. Zurich sponsors FAB network events. Clear employees have been accepted into Zurich Leadership Academy for professional development.
• MindsupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Clear partnered with Mind as their charity of the year in 2024, continuing into 2025. Mind is the leading mental health charity across England and Wales. Clear employees fundraise through events and challenges supporting mental health awareness.
• VLC & PartnersstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2021Formalized partnership with VLC & Partners, one of the leading independent insurance brokers in the Netherlands with over 300 brokers, advisers, risk specialists and claims experts. Partnership provides EU insurance requirements coverage for Clear clients post-Brexit. VLC offers Property & Casualty, Professional and Financial Lines, Private Lines, Employee Benefits, and Claims services across manufacturing, construction, retail, care, professional services and logistics sectors.
• AvivamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAviva is a major insurance partner mentioned in customer testimonial. Michelle Taylor, Director at Aviva, provides quote about strong partnership based on collaborative approach and shared customer values. Aviva sponsors FAB (Female Alliance in Business) network events.
• ClimateCaresupportingOthersClear uses carbon credits purchased through ClimateCare to achieve carbon neutrality. ClimateCare helps finance clean energy projects in emerging countries as part of Clear's sustainability commitment.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thecleargroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-clear-group

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A21 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Clear Group