What Seventeen Group does

Seventeen Group is a privately held UK insurance distribution and risk management group founded in 1982 and headquartered at 2 Minster Court in the City of London. The Group operates 25 offices across the UK, DACH (Germany and Switzerland) and the Isle of Man, managing approximately £400 million in premiums collectively and employing over 500 staff. It presents itself as the UK's longest-serving independent insurance distribution group of scale.

The business is structured around three integrated service lines delivered through wholly-owned subsidiaries and a joint venture. Insurance broking is provided by James Hallam Limited (seven UK regional offices, plus sub-brands Gauntlet for hospitality, James Hallam Travel and Tour, ProMed for healthcare, Everard Insurance Brokers for marine/marine trades, and the online commercial quotation channel Yes Quote) and Kestrel Insurance (six offices on the Isle of Man). Underwriting is provided by Touchstone Underwriting Limited, an FCA-regulated Managing General Agency that underwrites on behalf of major insurance partners and distributes to a broker panel of 550+ brokers. Lloyd's broking is provided through London Re GmbH, a joint venture with German independent broker MRH Trowe based in Düsseldorf and London. The 4Sight Risk Management service line delivers consultancy and risk guides alongside the broking business.

Revenue is generated primarily through brokerage commissions and MGA fees on placed and underwritten premium, supplemented by affinity/scheme management fees and risk management professional services. Distribution is multi-channel: direct enterprise field sales, retail broker offices for SME and personal lines, an MGA broker panel, a Partnership Broker/Authorised Representative programme, an EU Lloyd's broking JV, and an online commercial quotation channel. Pricing is quote-based per engagement. Growth has been driven by a sustained acquisition programme (dozens of UK brokers acquired since 2017, eight or more in 2024 alone), funded first by Beechbrook Capital (2019), then refinanced by Ares Management (2022), and most recently with a minority stake acquired by IK Partners (March 2025).

Name

Seventeen Group

Legal name

Seventeen Group Limited

Website

https://seventeengroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Seventeen Group is a privately held UK insurance distribution and risk management group operating 25 offices across the UK, DACH and the Isle of Man through James Hallam (broking), Touchstone Underwriting (MGA), Kestrel Insurance (Isle of Man broking) and the London Re Lloyd's broker JV, serving SMEs, corporates, personal lines and a 550+ broker panel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Broking & Risk Management

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

Keywords

• Insurance broking
• Risk management
• Managing general agency
• Lloyd's broking
• Commercial insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance brokerage commissions: James Hallam earns brokerage commission from insurers for placing and servicing commercial and personal insurance for clients ranging from large international organisations to SMEs and private individuals. Recurring, commission-based revenue tied to premium volume.
2. MGA underwriting income (Touchstone): Touchstone Underwriting, the Group's FCA-regulated MGA, underwrites on behalf of major insurance company partners and generates fee/commission income on gross written premium across standard, non-standard and bespoke products.
3. Lloyd's broking fees (London Re): London Re GmbH, the JV with MRH Trowe based in Düsseldorf with a London branch, earns broking fees for placing complex EU and international risks into the Lloyd's and London market on behalf of clients and broker partners.
4. Affinity and scheme income: James Hallam develops affinity insurance solutions for member associations and other organisations, plus specialist schemes including Gauntlet, James Hallam Travel and Tour brands — generating scheme management and placement fees.
5. Personal and commercial insurance brokerage (Kestrel Insurance, Isle of Man): Kestrel Insurance has offered personal and commercial insurance services on the Isle of Man for more than 30 years, operating six offices and earning brokerage commissions from a handpicked panel of insurers.
6. Risk management services (4Sight Risk Management): Risk management subsidiary providing specialist consultancy and risk management services including statutory inspections and operational risk guidance to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Seventeen Group Limited is a London-based, privately held insurance holding company founded in 1982 that operates as a multi-disciplinary insurance distribution and risk management group. Through a portfolio of FCA-regulated subsidiaries, the group delivers commercial and personal insurance broking, MGA-style underwriting, Lloyd's of London broking, and risk management consulting, supported by 25 offices in the UK and Europe and a diversified specialist brand portfolio including James Hallam, Touchstone Underwriting, Kestrel Insurance, London Re, 4Sight Risk Management, Gauntlet, James Hallam Travel and Tour, ProMed, and Yes Quote.

Product overview

Seventeen Group is a privately owned, multi-disciplinary insurance and risk management organisation founded in 1982, structured as a holding company with four core subsidiary/service offerings: Insurance Broking via James Hallam Limited (UK-wide) and Kestrel Insurance (Isle of Man), Underwriting via Touchstone Underwriting Limited (FCA-regulated MGA), and the Lloyd's Insurance Brokerage joint venture London Re (with MRH Trowe, based in Düsseldorf and London). The Group also operates the 4Sight Risk Management service line and a number of specialist sub-brands within James Hallam — including Gauntlet (hospitality), James Hallam Travel and Tour, Yes Quote (online commercial), ProMed (healthcare), and Everard Insurance Brokers (marine and marine trades, incorporating the Christopher Rowe team) — while the Oil Spill Insurance Services brand provides specialist HomeSpill and WorkSpill policies. Together these subsidiaries are managed independently but are designed to be complementary, with Touchstone underwriting on behalf of major carrier partners and distributing to a wide broker panel that includes James Hallam, and London Re providing EU clients and brokers with direct access to Lloyd's of London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• James Hallam Limited: UK-wide insurance broking subsidiary serving commercial, personal, specialty and high-net-worth clients domestically and globally; operates under sub-brands including Gauntlet (hospitality), James Hallam Travel and Tour, and Yes Quote (online commercial).
• Touchstone Underwriting Limited
• London Re
• Kestrel Insurance
• Oil Spill Insurance Services

Products and services

• Commercial Insurance Broking
• Personal Insurance Broking
• Managing General Agency (MGA) Underwriting
• Lloyd's of London Broking
• Risk Management Consulting
• Specialty Insurance Distribution

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue grew 23% from £18.42M to £22.66M between 2018 and 2019; EBITDA increased from £2.3M to £3.1M
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global broker and advisory firm with a UK presence; competes in commercial and specialty lines for larger clients, but its brokerage is one of several segments in a much broader advisory group.
• Aon UK: UK arm of Aon plc; competes in commercial and specialty insurance placement for mid-market and large clients, but its UK retail offering is a smaller part of a global risk and HR consulting franchise.
• Marsh Ltd: UK arm of global broker Marsh McLennan; overlaps in mid-market and large corporate commercial broking and competes in London specialty lines, but as part of a much broader global portfolio.

Direct peers

• Aston Lark: UK independent insurance broker consolidator with similar specialty sector focus (marine, healthcare, real estate) and PE backing; competes head-to-head for regional UK broker acquisitions.
• PIB Group: UK-focused, PE-backed insurance broker built on a comparable buy-and-build strategy with specialty divisions; an extremely close comparable in scale, funding model and acquisition cadence to Seventeen Group.
• Howden Group: Privately held, PE-backed international insurance broker with a large UK retail and London Market presence; competes for the same SME and mid-market clients and for broker acquisition targets that Seventeen pursues.
• MRH Trowe: Large independent German insurance broker and Seventeen's JV partner in London Re; comparable multi-discipline broker with DACH presence and a like-minded serial acquisition strategy.
• Ardonagh Group: Largest UK-headquartered insurance broker group, PE-backed by Madison Dearborn; operates a multi-discipline broking, MGA and schemes platform directly comparable to Seventeen's James Hallam / Touchstone model and is the most aggressive serial acquirer in the UK broker market.
• Jensten Group: PE-backed UK insurance broker and MGA consolidator; directly comparable in scale, multi-subsidiary structure and growth strategy, and a competitor for both clients and acquisition targets.

Emerging players

• Bspoke Insurance: UK MGA and broker; overlaps with Touchstone's specialty MGA activity and with James Hallam's affinity/scheme offering, but at a smaller scale and more digitally-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Seventeen Group