Unison Risk Advisors

What Unison Risk Advisors does

Unison Risk Advisors is a privately held partnership of independent, employee-owned risk management and insurance brokerage firms headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The company operates as the fifth-largest independent insurance broker in the United States, with 1,400+ employees distributed across 40+ office locations in 15+ states and a service reach spanning 85+ countries. Its legal entity, Unison Risk Advisors Inc., is incorporated in Maryland and operates as a corporate platform unifying multiple affiliate brokerages including Oswald Companies, RCM&D, Avondale Insurance Associates, Enders Insurance, Gibson Insurance Agency, Hatcher Insurance, and NSI Insurance Group.

The firm's product portfolio combines core insurance brokerage (commercial property & casualty, employee benefits, personal & life insurance, retirement plan services, alternative risk and captive solutions) with six national specialty practices (Cyber Risk, Design & Construction, Education, Healthcare, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate) and additional industry verticals (Food & Agriculture, Manufacturing, Government Entities, Nonprofits, Professional Services). Unison Risk Solutions serves as an integrated consulting hub combining data, risk, and claim consulting with third-party administration. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; the firm markets its offering around deep vertical specialization, access to global insurance markets, and the responsiveness of a partner-firm model.

Revenue is generated primarily through commissions on insurance placement (transaction-fee model) across property, casualty, professional liability, workers' compensation, and employee benefits, supplemented by professional services fees for risk assessments, M&A due diligence, loss control, claims management, and strategic risk consulting. The go-to-market is sales-led, combining a network of independent partner-firm brokerages serving as regional distribution with direct advisory teams handling complex enterprise engagements. In March 2022, Canadian private equity firm Peloton Capital Management acquired a minority stake to fund continued organic and inorganic growth while preserving the independent, employee-owned structure.

Name

Unison Risk Advisors

Legal name

Unison Risk Advisors Inc.

Website

https://unisonriskadvisors.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Unison Risk Advisors is a private partnership of independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage and risk management firms operating as the 5th largest U.S. independent broker, serving commercial enterprises, institutions, and affluent individuals across 10+ industry verticals from 40+ U.S. offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage and Risk Management Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI)

Keywords

• Risk management advisory
• Insurance brokerage services
• Commercial property casualty
• Employee benefits consulting
• Mergers acquisitions insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Placement Commissions: Commissions earned on the placement of insurance policies for clients across all industry segments served, including property, casualty, professional liability, workers' compensation, and employee benefits.
2. Risk Management Consulting Fees: Fees charged for advisory services including risk assessments, M&A due diligence, loss control, claims management, and strategic risk consulting across the firm's specialty practice areas.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Unison Risk Advisors is a partnership of independent, employee-owned risk management and insurance brokerage firms that places insurance coverage and provides risk advisory services to commercial clients across 10+ industry verticals and to affluent individuals. Its offerings span commercial property and casualty, employee benefits, personal and life insurance, retirement plan services, alternative risk and captive solutions, and integrated data/risk/claim consulting with third-party administration. Revenue is earned through commissions on insurance placement and fees for risk management advisory engagements.

Product overview

Unison Risk Advisors™ is a partnership of independent and employee-owned risk management and insurance brokerage firms offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance and risk management services. The firm operates as a platform of national practices and industry-specific solutions including: core services (Alternative Risk & Captive Solutions, Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance, Employee Benefits & Health Insurance, Personal & Life Insurance, Retirement Plan Services, and Data/Risk/Claim Consulting/TPA); six national practices (Cyber Risk Solutions, Design & Construction, Education, Healthcare, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Real Estate); and additional industry verticals (Food & Agriculture, Government Entities, Manufacturing, Nonprofits, and Professional Services). Unison Risk Solutions serves as the integrated solutions hub combining data consulting, risk consulting, claim consulting, and third-party administration. The structure is a multi-module platform enabling tailored risk management across diverse industry verticals and client segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alternative Risk & Captive Solutions Provides alternative risk financing strategies and captive insurance solutions to help businesses retain and manage risk exposure through group purchasing power and shared risk mechanisms. Designed for organizations seeking alternatives to traditional commercial insurance placement.
• Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance Offers commercial property and casualty insurance coverage and risk management for businesses across various industries. Targets commercial clients needing protection against property damage, liability, and operational exposures.
• Employee Benefits & Health Insurance Delivers employee benefits program design, optimization, and health insurance solutions including PPO and HSA plans, family planning benefits, and captive insurance for healthcare costs. Targets employers seeking to attract and retain talent while managing benefit costs.
• Personal & Life Insurance Provides personal risk insurance programs for affluent individuals and family offices, including property & liability coverage for high-value homes, lifestyle assets (aircraft, yachts, jewelry, fine art), auto, travel, life insurance, and excess liability protection.
• Retirement Plan Services Offers retirement plan consulting services including advisory support through a high-service model to foster employee financial security and organizational success. Targets employers establishing or optimizing retirement benefit programs.
• Data, Risk & Claim Consulting and Third-Party Administration Provides integrated data consulting, risk consulting, claim consulting, and third-party administration services combining deep industry knowledge with advanced technology for strategic, proactive, and customized claim management. Serves organizations seeking outsourced or augmented risk and claims functions.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Delivers M&A advisory services including due diligence across property & casualty, cyber liability, employee benefits, retirement plans, compliance; transactional coverages such as representations & warranties insurance; and portfolio risk management for financial and strategic acquirers. Targets financial sponsors, strategic acquirers, and their portfolio companies engaged in transactions.
• Healthcare Practice Provides comprehensive commercial insurance, employee benefits, and risk management solutions for hospitals, health systems, aging services, physician practices, and allied health organizations including clinical risk consulting. Targets healthcare providers facing malpractice liability, regulatory compliance, and operational risk.
• Cyber Risk Solutions Offers cyber risk analytics, insurance placement, and advisory services combining industry insight and advanced technology to help organizations anticipate, withstand, and recover from cyber threats. Targets organizations facing data breach, ransomware, and cyber liability exposures.
• Design & Construction Practice Provides customized surety and insurance solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors including builder's risk, construction insurance, surety bonds, project solutions, OCIPs & CCIPs, and subcontractor default insurance. Targets firms with complex project-specific risk transfer requirements.
• Education Practice Offers insurance brokerage, risk management, and consulting services for educational institutions including K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and proprietary programs. Serves over 350 education institutions with focus on student injury liability, Title IX exposure, and campus safety.
• Real Estate Practice Manages real estate risk profiles through exposure analysis, renewal strategy, claims consulting, DealAssist process, property valuation assistance, acquisition due diligence, catastrophic modeling, and tenant insurance tracking. Targets commercial and residential real estate owners, developers, and operators.
• Food and Agriculture Practice Provides comprehensive risk mitigation including property and casualty, employee benefits, product recall coverage, executive risk, and claim consulting for farmers, processors, equipment manufacturers, distributors, and brewers. Targets food production, processing, and agricultural operations.
• Manufacturing Practice Delivers strategic risk management insurance for manufacturing companies serving as a definitive source for total workplace health, safety, and financial protection. Targets manufacturing firms needing property, casualty, workers' compensation, and supply chain risk coverage.
• Government Entities Practice Provides strategies to manage the unique risks of government entities due to complex operations, public trust, and regulatory requirements. Targets government agencies and municipal entities needing specialized public sector risk coverage.
• Nonprofits and Social Services Practice Provides full range of risk and insurance advisory services for nonprofit organizations. Targets non-profits needing D&O coverage, volunteer injury protection, event cancellation insurance, and charitable immunity guidance.
• Professional Services Practice Partners with businesses to implement customized strategies across finance, law, accounting, architecture, engineering, technology, and consulting industries. Targets professional service firms needing professional liability (E&O), cyber liability, employment practices liability, and commercial general liability coverage.

Named customers1 record

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hub International: PE-backed roll-up acquirer of independent commercial insurance brokerages, highly comparable to Unison's employee-owned partner network model and acquisitive growth strategy.
• Risk Strategies Company: PE-backed national insurance brokerage built via roll-up of specialty and middle-market firms; directly comparable to Unison in capital structure, growth playbook, and vertical specialization.
• Acrisure: Tech-enabled, rapidly consolidating insurance brokerage roll-up that, like Unison, pursues aggressive acquisition growth, though with a heavier emphasis on proprietary technology.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Large publicly traded insurance broker with deep middle-market and specialty practice focus; overlaps with Unison's commercial P&C, benefits, and risk management offerings.
• IMA Financial Group: Employee-owned commercial insurance brokerage operating across multiple U.S. regions with specialty practices; directly comparable in structure and product mix to Unison.
• Holmes Murphy: Independent, employee-focused risk management and insurance brokerage serving mid-to-large commercial clients; comparable in culture, ownership structure, and consulting-led approach.
• Lockton: Largest privately held insurance brokerage in the world with deep specialty practices; a relevant aspirational peer given Unison's emphasis on independent, client-centric service.
• Brown & Riding Insurance Services: Specialty wholesale insurance brokerage serving niche and complex risks; comparable to Unison's specialty national practices such as Design & Construction and Real Estate.

Broad incumbents

• Marsh McLennan: Global insurance brokerage and risk advisory giant; competes with Unison on enterprise accounts and provides the broad-market benchmark for scale, technology investment, and pricing.
• Aon: Global professional services firm with a major insurance brokerage arm; competes with Unison in commercial P&C, reinsurance, and risk consulting while operating at substantially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Unison Risk Advisors