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MANAGEMENT TEAM SPONSORED BY PwC


OF THE YEAR AWARD


WINNER Simplyhealth


Above: Romana Abdin (left) and Helen Dickinson (right) of Simplyhealth, with Jason Wakelam of sponsor PwC Right: Dominic Holland with Romana Abdin, Jason Wakelam and Helen Dickinson


The only award of the night to go to people who are not professional advisers, this title was hotly-contested, with each business determined to demonstrate they are the best when it comes to commitment to growth and hunger to succeed on the acquisition trail.


Kerridge Commercial Systems, from Hungerford, already featured as a key deal in many of the nominations, lined up alongside Leaders Lettings, the largest independently-owned letting agency in the UK, and Simplyhealth, the Andover-based company which was formerly HSA.


The award was sponsored by PwC and it was partner Jason Wakelam who was invited onto the stage to announce the winner – Simplyhealth.


Simplyhealth has over over three million customers and patients, and serves nearly four million people, as well as providing healthcare cover for some 11,000 companies. Its team settles more than 10,000 claims a day.


Over the past 12 months, the company acquired Winchester-based Denplan for £115m and Groupama Healthcare for an undisclosed figure to create the UK’s leading health cash plan provider.


Denplan, the UK’s largest provider of dental plans, helps nearly two million people to access dental care and treatment and,


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according to Simplyhealth, for the year ended December 2011, Denplan is expected to report pre-tax profits of £14.1m on overall revenue of £55.5m.


Groupama Healthcare specialised in providing private medical insurance to thousands of small to medium-sized businesses and was the UK’s eighth largest provider of private medical insurance (PMI).


Romana Abdin, corporate affairs and HR director at Simplyhealth said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. We have a fantastic team of people at Simplyhealth who worked tirelessly to deliver two great acquisitions – Denplan and Groupama Healthcare.


“Over the past 10 years, Simplyhealth has been on a path of growth and diversification. By joining with these companies that share common values we are building a strong organisation for the future. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved and played a role in helping with these projects.”


The company regularly wins plaudits for its services, including a Customer Commitment award at the 2012 UK Customer Satisfaction Awards; Best Health Related Insurer 2011 at the Personal Finance awards for the second year running; and it was named Best Health Insurance Provider at the Consumer Moneyfacts Awards 2011, after being voted for by consumers.


Kerridge Commercial Systems acquired TIS Software, from Bourne End, near Maidenhead, in October 2011, in what was described as a “great fit” between the two businesses. With 150 staff, Kerridge has become a market leader in trading and financial software solutions for the distribution, wholesale and retail industry sectors.


For Leaders Lettings, specialists in the letting and management of residential properties, the acquisition of JSM Property Management in May 2011 was an opportunity to expand into and gain a significant foothold in East Anglia. The JSM real estate operation included six branches and an active tenancy base of some 3,000 properties, and was important because it took Leaders though the 50 branch barrier.


Leaders, which has grown through acquisition since it began in 1983 in a single first-floor office in Brighton, has also recently acquired The Letting Shop (TLS), adding yet more new locations to its extensive branch network in the south.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – MAY 2012


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