Garrun Group

What Garrun Group does

Garrun Group is one of South Africa's largest independent short-term insurance intermediaries, founded in 1963 and headquartered in Johannesburg. The company operates a national branch network spanning Gauteng (Johannesburg, Pretoria, Randburg), KwaZulu-Natal (Kokstad, Underberg, Port Shepstone), and Mpumalanga (Piet Retief), with each branch handling local underwriting, claims administration, and client management under its own Financial Services Provider (FSP) authorisation. It serves commercial, industrial, agricultural, personal, and professional clients through six core product lines — Business Insurance, Agriculture Insurance, Specialist Risk Insurance, Engineering Insurance, Personal Insurance, and Employee Benefits — and operates a specialist professional liability sub-brand, Garrun CFP (Cover for Professionals), via a separate platform at cover4profs.co.za.

The company runs a proprietary “Network Platform” that delivers back office, binder arrangements, and technical support services to its branch network and to external broker partners, positioning it as a broker-of-brokers layered on top of direct brokerage. Revenue is generated primarily through commission-based insurance brokerage (professional services model) and through managed services income from the platform support offering. Approximately 80% of group earnings are derived from SME risk services, with a disclosed sample of 4,000 commercial clients carrying R4.6 billion in Business Interruption sums insured as of January 2023, growing at a nominal 9.39% over the preceding 12 months. The model is sales-led, with branches and authorised representatives providing advice-led risk management, claims support, and binding authority access across multiple insurers.

Since October 2019, Calibrate Ventures (partnering with Mahogany Private Equity, with R250 million allocated for Sub-Saharan Africa insurance and investment opportunities) has held a significant minority stake; Calibrate co-founder Vaughan Jones became CEO in June 2022, while founder Cliff Garrun assumed the Chairman role. The group operates as a Group of Authorised FSPs (multiple FSP numbers including 44669, 6403, 11182, 16433, 1772, 25426/42892, 12781, 11179, 11176) and maintains a dual internal/external compliance function under the FAIS Act.

Name

Garrun Group

Legal name

Garrun Group

Website

https://garrun-group.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Garrun Group is one of South Africa's largest independent short-term insurance brokers, founded in 1963, operating a national branch network serving commercial, agricultural, personal, and professional clients through brokerage and a proprietary broker-services platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

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

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA), Association & PEO Group Health Plans (AHP/PEO-Sponsored) (FSAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Short-term insurance brokerage
• Commercial insurance intermediary
• Risk management services
• Specialist insurance coverage
• Employee benefits consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Services: Commission-based insurance brokerage generating revenue from arranging short-term insurance policies for commercial, industrial and personal clients. Revenue derived from broker services and risk solutions provided to SME and enterprise clients.
2. Broker Services Platform: First-in-class back office, binder and technical support services offered to current and future broker partners. Revenue model includes binder arrangements and technical support services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Garrun Group is an independent short-term insurance brokerage that arranges business, commercial, industrial, agricultural, specialist risk, engineering, personal, and employee benefits insurance policies on behalf of clients across South Africa. The firm operates through a national branch network, accesses risk capacity from multiple insurers under binding authorities, and provides claims management and risk advisory services. It also runs a Network Platform offering back-office, binder, and technical support services to its branch offices and partner brokers.

Product overview

Garrun Group is one of South Africa's largest independent short-term insurance brokers offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products and services. The company operates as a unified insurance brokerage platform with multiple product lines including Business Insurance, Agriculture Insurance, Specialist Risk Insurance, Engineering Insurance, Personal Insurance, and Employee Benefits Insurance. A distinct sub-brand, Garrun CFP (Cover for Professionals), operates through cover4profs.co.za to serve professional liability needs. The company provides claims management services through standardized PDF forms for motor accidents, motor glass, motor theft, property loss/damage, and public liability. Garrun Group delivers these products through a network platform offering administration and support services, positioning itself as a first-in-class broker services business with back office, binder, and technical support capabilities for its branch network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Insurance
• Agriculture Insurance
• Specialist Risk Insurance
• Engineering Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• R4.6 billion in commercial Business Interruption sums insured across 4,000 clients with 9.39% nominal growth in 12 months to January 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Insurance Institute of Gauteng (IIG)coreOthersProfessional body for short-term insurance industry. Garrun Group staff actively participate in IIG activities including the Roots & Wings Mentorship Programme, Council positions, and industry initiatives. The IIG plays a pivotal role in fostering transformation, education, professional networking and collaboration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Old Mutual Insure: South African insurer offering short-term and life insurance products through direct and broker channels. Comparable in commercial and personal lines products, though primarily an underwriter rather than a broker.
• Hollard Insurance Group: South Africa's largest privately-owned insurance group, offering life, short-term, and employee benefits insurance through broker and direct channels. Comparable in product breadth and target segments, though Hollard is a carrier while Garrun is a broker.
• Santam: South Africa's largest short-term insurer, working through a national broker network including broker partners. Comparable in customer segments (SME, commercial, agricultural) and broker-partnership model.
• Aon South Africa: Global insurance brokerage and advisory firm with a South African presence serving commercial and enterprise clients. Comparable in commercial risk advisory and placement services, with substantially larger scale and global capacity.
• Willis Towers Watson South Africa: Global advisory, broking, and solutions firm with a South African presence serving commercial and corporate clients. Comparable in commercial risk placement and specialist professional lines services.
• Marsh South Africa: Global insurance broker and risk advisor with South African operations focused on commercial, corporate, and specialist risk placement. Comparable in complex commercial risk placement and risk advisory services to enterprise clients.

Direct peers

• Alexander Forbes: South African financial services group offering insurance brokerage, employee benefits, and wealth management. Comparable to Garrun in its SME-focused brokerage and employee benefits offerings, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Indwe Risk Services: One of South Africa's largest independent short-term insurance brokers, providing commercial, industrial, and personal insurance brokerage with a national footprint. Highly comparable to Garrun in target market, business model, and product mix.
• PSG Konsult: South African financial services group with short-term insurance brokerage, employee benefits, and wealth advisory divisions. Comparable to Garrun in serving SME and commercial clients with an advice-led, multi-product model.

Regional players

• Bidvest Insurance: South African insurance provider within the Bidvest group, offering personal and commercial lines. Comparable in South African market focus and SME segment exposure, though operates with a more direct-to-customer model than Garrun's broker-led approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/garrungroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXDoa3oQzAgJozotFYXlaJA
• Facebookfacebook.com/GarrunGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/garrun-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/garrungroup/?hl=en

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Garrun Group