InsurTech 50 firm Ripe has appointed a key figure from Deloitte as head of M&A.
Jamie Richards will lead the acquisitions strategy at the Manchester firm, which secured backing from London- and New York-based private equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners in late 2021 and early 2022.
Ripe – which has enjoyed 15 straight years of revenue growth and made its first acquisition in Craftinsure last year – is looking to further expand through targeted acquisitions across commercial and specialist personal lines.
Richards has served at Deloitte for a decade as a senior member of the Financial Institutions Group M&A team. He has significant deal experience across a range of clients including founder-led businesses, private equity, global insurers and intermediaries.
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“Ripe has an exceptionally unique and exciting proposition, which attracted me to this new role after 10 years at Deloitte,” Richards said. “I’m thrilled to join the business at this time and be a part of its ambitious growth plans.
“I’ll be hitting the ground running, working on M&A opportunities where Ripe can add significant value to acquired businesses, especially through its marketing capabilities and proprietary technology platform.”
Ripe CEO Paul Williams added: “Following our first acquisition of Craftinsure last year, this appointment reflects the importance of M&A in our future expansion plans.
“The investment of Aquiline Capital Partners in 2022 gives Ripe the firepower for our next growth phase, which will now be supercharged by our new head of M&A.
“With his experience and profile, Jamie will enable us to unlock new opportunities. We have a clear strategy – to identify quality businesses with existing specialisms which could benefit from our unique technology and digital marketing expertise to turbo-charge growth.
“We will be targeted and highly selective, so where we find the right fit, we can bring flexible deal structures and a strong valuation for potential vendors. Our door is open.”