INSER becomes Verlingue
INSER becomes Verlingue
A new identity to drive growth in Italy and strengthen its ambition to become a leading independent insurance broker in Europe
Nearly two years after joining Verlingue, INSER officially adopts the Verlingue name in Italy. This change marks a significant new phase in the strategic development of the Adelaïde Group, reinforcing its ambition to become Europe’s leading independent family-owned insurance brokerage group.
The rebranding follows Verlingue’s majority acquisition of INSER in July 2023 and reflects the central role of the Italian market within the Group’s Better Future 28 strategic plan.
A new name, a new tagline — the start of an ambitious chapter.
Founded in 1979 in Trento, and firmly established across Northern and Central Italy with 8 offices and over 220 employees, INSER quickly became one of the country’s leading independent brokers. Its new identity as Verlingue, combined with the tagline “Protecting the future”, fully reflects both its integration within a European group and its ongoing commitment to serving its clients while staying true to its Italian roots.
“This name change is about more than just a new brand — it signals our determination to accelerate our growth in Italy by fully leveraging the strength of the Verlingue network and a long-term strategic vision. It offers an opportunity to unite our teams behind a shared ambition, strengthen relationships with our Italian clients, and further consolidate our leadership position,” says Vincent Harel, CEO of Verlingue.
Better Future 28: building a market-leading brokerage in Northern and Central Italy
As part of the Adelaïde Group, Verlingue will implement the Better Future 28 plan in Italy with a clear objective: to rank among the top 10 insurance brokers in Northern and Central Italy by 2028.
The strategy is built on four complementary pillars:
- Targeted organic growth: Strengthening existing offices by expanding the client portfolio and continuously improving service quality.
- Diversification and specialisation: Developing key expertise in high-potential technical areas such as credit insurance, construction and financial guarantees, cyber insurance, healthcare and financial lines, while further developing mutual protection funds as a strategic differentiator. Growth in affinity business lines and expanded partnerships in related services (legal, claims management, ESG) will further enrich the offering.
- People, innovation, and talent attraction: Enhancing Verlingue's employer brand through high-level professional development programmes, a modernised work environment, innovative technologies, and new organisational models.
“We are setting a clear course to establish Verlingue as a reference player in Italy’s insurance brokerage market, supporting our business clients with the growing complexity of risks. Our investments, expertise, and strong family business culture serve a clear ambition: to help Italian companies safeguard their future,” adds Pierpaolo Ruggeri, Head of Verlingue Italy.
About Verlingue
Verlingue is a specialist insurance broker focused on protecting businesses, and part of the Adelaïde Group. Dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, Verlingue aims to turn corporate risk management and employee protection into real drivers of value creation and performance for its clients.
With offices in France, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Italy, and an international presence through its partners in over 100 countries, Verlingue supports its clients over the long term, helping them anticipate emerging risks and develop simple, effective solutions to protect both their businesses (corporate risks) and their people (employee benefits and pension schemes).
1,600 employees, including 600 outside of France
Active in 5 European countries
News
Adelaïde Group continues its dynamic growth and further strengthens its presence across Europe
Adelaïde Group continues its dynamic growth and further strengthens its presence across Europe
With a turnover of €450 million in 2024 – up 12.5% – Adelaïde Group has reached a new milestone in delivering its strategic plan, Better Future 28, which aims to position the company as Europe’s leading independent, family-owned insurance brokerage group. The Group reaffirms its ambition to achieve €800 million in revenue by 2028.
Solid performance and sustainable growth momentum
During the annual results presentation, Benjamin Verlingue, CEO of Adelaïde Group, joined by Deputy CEOs Audrey Verlingue and Gilles Bénéplanc, highlighted the strength of the Group’s business model, built on solid organic growth (+10%) and a targeted acquisition strategy.
“The 2024 results confirm the relevance of our strategy and the strength of our independent, family-owned model. The Better Future 28 strategic plan, launched just nine months ago, reflects our shared ambition: to become a European leader in insurance broking, while staying true to our core values of excellence, proximity, and innovation in service of our clients,” stated Benjamin Verlingue.
2024: a year of strategic acquisitions
Adelaïde Group strengthened its strategic footprint in the European insurance broking market with four acquisitions, reflecting its ambition to broaden its expertise and expand its geographic reach:
- DUNE (France): This MGA (Managing General Agent), specialising in construction insurance, enables the Group to expand its capabilities in insurance distribution.
- MBB and Brixia Broker (Italy): Two insurance brokerage acquisitions that strengthen the territorial coverage of Inser, Verlingue’s Italian subsidiary.
“These acquisitions demonstrate our proactive approach to external growth. They allow us not only to diversify our offering, but also to reinforce our European presence while maintaining our industrial and long-term approach,” explained Audrey Verlingue.
2024 highlights: a year of growth and transformation across the Group
In 2024, Adelaïde Group sustained its growth momentum with solid results and strategic investments across its business units:
- Verlingue reported revenue of €314 million, up 10%. The year was marked by strong commercial performance and major investments in IT systems, enhancing its competitiveness and client support capabilities. With steady expansion in France and across Europe—particularly via acquisitions in Italy and Switzerland—Verlingue consolidated its position in the brokerage market. International operations accounted for 37% of Verlingue’s revenue in 2024. Notably, Vincent Harel has been appointed CEO of Verlingue and will take office on 28 April 2025.
- Cocoon, the Group’s subsidiary focused on individual health insurance, continued its portfolio restructuring by optimising digital channels, improving customer experience, and supporting profitable growth. It generated €13 million in revenue. In 2024, Cocoon expanded its activities in the “Group leavers” segment, signing 12,000 new contracts.
DUNE, acquired in 2024 and specialising in construction insurance, is aiming to become a key player in the underwriting market. It has already underwritten €10 million in premiums through a network of 650 brokers, showcasing its strong strategic potential and the added value it brings to the Group’s offering.
Looking ahead
Gilles Bénéplanc, Deputy CEO of Adelaïde Group, commented:
News
Vincent Harel has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Verlingue, effective from 28 April 2025
Vincent Harel has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Verlingue, effective from 28 April 2025
The Adelaïde insurance brokerage group – comprising Verlingue, Génération, Cocoon, and DUNE – has announced the appointment of Vincent Harel as Chief Executive Officer of Verlingue. He will report directly to Benjamin Verlingue, President of Verlingue and CEO of Adelaïde Group. In this role, Vincent Harel will also serve as a member of the Adelaïde Group Executive Committee.
“Vincent’s appointment marks an important step in the implementation of our new strategic plan, Better Future 28. His professionalism and energy will help us strengthen our position across all the sectors in which we operate, fully contributing to the Group’s ambition to become the leading family-owned insurance brokerage firm in the European market,” said Benjamin Verlingue.
Vincent Harel was most recently Co-CEO of Marsh McLennan France (since 2023) and President of Mercer France (since 2019), a leading insurance brokerage and HR consultancy firm where he began his career in 2003. Over the years, he held various roles in management, consulting, and business development.
A graduate of ESSCA (2000), where he now also serves as President of the Alumni Association, Vincent Harel started his career in management and organisational consulting at Capgemini Consulting.
“It’s a great pleasure to be joining the next phase of Verlingue’s growth within the Adelaïde Group. I know I can count on highly committed teams, both in France and across Europe, and I firmly believe our position as a family-owned, independent group is a real strength,” said Vincent Harel.
News
Verlingue has been accredited as a Lloyd’s Broker
Verlingue has been accredited as a Lloyd’s Broker
Verlingue has become an accredited Lloyd’s Broker, opening up new opportunities for insurance coverage on the London market.
Verlingue, the international insurance broker of the Adelaïde Group—of which Inser is a part—has officially become an accredited Lloyd’s Broker, marking a significant milestone in the Group’s strategy to strengthen its position in the European insurance market. This accreditation, together with the launch of the new Verlingue London Markets Europe subsidiary, enables Inser to further expand its international reach by providing clients with direct access to the Lloyd’s market—the world’s largest marketplace for insurance and reinsurance.
This recognition opens the door to even more specialised insurance solutions for clients and partners, particularly in the areas of Property, Casualty, Motor Fleet and Specialist Lines. In addition, the creation of a dedicated Marine division allows Verlingue to offer full coverage across all marine insurance lines, further consolidating its expertise in this segment.
Barry Reynolds, Executive Director of Verlingue London Markets Limited, will lead this new phase of expansion. As he stated:
The support of Verlingue and strong relationships with international brokers played a decisive role in achieving this result, as underlined by Benjamin Verlingue, Chairman of Adelaïde Group: