Cunningham Lindsey Group Announces Acquisitions in Germany, France and Spain

13 Jul 10

NEWS RELEASE 
 
For Further Information Contact: 
Philippe Bès, President and Chief Executive Officer
Cunningham Lindsey Group Limited
PBes@cl-na.com 

For Immediate Release
Cunningham Lindsey completes four strategic acquisitions in Europe
Tampa, Florida (July 13, 2010) – Cunningham Lindsey Group Limited is pleased to announce the completion of four strategic acquisitions in Europe.  
 
Philippe Bès, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cunningham Lindsey Group said: “In order to provide the most comprehensive service offering to our clients worldwide, Cunningham Lindsey is committed to expanding and improving our European operations. I am pleased to report that we are ahead of our internal plans in the implementation of this expansion program, and have completed most of our short term objectives in Europe. The company’s recent acquisitions in Germany, Spain and France complement our strong existing footholds in the major European markets and will further strengthen our presence in these three important European markets. We remain focused on opportunities to further expand our offering and coverage to our global and European customers”.
 
Germany 
Cunningham Lindsey has the pleasure of announcing the acquisition in Germany of 100% of Zorn Ingenieur Gesellschaft (ZIG). ZIG has operated in the German market for 25 years and is headquartered in Wülfrath, Germany. Their professional staff consists of ten engineers and one lawyer, in addition to administrative support.
 
ZIG is an established adjusting firm having particular expertise in the construction and engineering sectors.  It is one of the largest independent adjusting businesses in Germany and enjoys an excellent reputation in that market.
 
Trading in the future as Cunningham Lindsey Zorn, this business will provide greater depth to our operations in Germany and will bolster the service offerings provided by our existing international office in Munich, which is headed by Markus Montigny. Together, they will provide complementary service offerings to our German and international customers.
 
Commenting on the sale to Cunningham Lindsey, Ulrich Mann, Managing Director of Zorn Ingenieur Gesellschaft said: “We are delighted to be joining Cunningham Lindsey, recognizing the extra skills and geographic coverage that the Group will bring to our existing client base.”
 
Chris Panes, Chief Executive of Cunningham Lindsey International added: “The acquisition of ZIG significantly enhances our ability to service our clients’ needs in Germany and we are delighted that a strong and well established organization like Zorn has agreed to join our Group.”
 
If you would like any further information about our servicing abilities within Germany, please do not hesitate to contact Ulrich Mann at:
 
Cunningham Lindsey Zorn
Wilhelmstraße 96
42489 Wülfrath
Germany
Tel: +49 2058 9230(0)20
Fax: +49 2058 923 (0)30
Mobile: +49 1708 124 092
Email: ulrich.mann@zorningenieure.de

Spain 
Cunningham Lindsey is pleased to announce the expansion of its operations in Spain through the acquisition of 100% of Oterin S.A which will considerably enhance our current business in Spain, Cunningham Lindsey Barlow.
 
Oterin S.A. was established in 1980 and is one of the larger loss adjusters in Spain, with a head office in Madrid and branches in Seville, Alicante, Malaga, Oviedo and Bilbao. It has over 30 permanent staff and a network of agents operating throughout the country. The company also has an operation in Portugal.
 
Oterin and Cunningham Lindsey Barlow have already been working closely together and the two operations will be fully integrated during the next three months. 
 
Fernando Suárez de Tangil, Managing Director of Oterin S.A, said, “We are very pleased to become a part of the Cunningham Lindsey, one of the two largest firms of loss adjusters worldwide. Our coming together gives us an outstanding capability to deliver our services on a global basis, and to complement our long standing local expertise and capabilities. It also provides us with access to Cunningham Lindsey’s global technical resources.”
 
John Barlow, Managing Director of Cunningham Lindsey Barlow added, “Our strategic presence in Spain and Portugal is now considerably strengthened by the greater office spread and technical capabilities offered by Oterin in both the marine and non-marine business, and the integration of the operations will only enhance this.”
 
Chris Panes, Chief Executive of Cunningham Lindsey International said, “This is an exciting development and we are delighted to welcome Oterin into the Cunningham Lindsey Group. We have developed a great working relationship with their senior management and appreciate the wealth of experience they bring to the Group. We are especially looking forward to extending our offering to Spanish insurers, brokers and multinational companies, operating globally, particularly in Latin America where we already enjoy a market leading presence”
 
If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Fernando Suárez at:
 
Oterin S.A
Calle Orense, 32 - piso 1o
Oficina 7
28020 - Madrid
Tel: +34 91 556 48 51
Fax: +34 91 597 04 99
Email: suarezf@oterin.com
 
France 
Cunningham Lindsey is pleased to announce the acquisition of the balance of the equity it did not already own in Cunningham Lindsey Est, headquartered in Metz, France. Michel Lafontaine, formerly Managing Director of Cunningham Lindsey Est has now been appointed Regional Manager for the eastern operations of Cunningham Lindsey France.
 
Cunningham Lindsey France also acquired the remaining 20% minority holding in LDM Expertises and now owns 100% of LDM Expertises. In connection with this acquisition, Francois Jeanneau, formerly Managing Director of LDM has appointed Co-Head of the western operations of Cunningham Lindsey France.
 
These 2 acquisitions complete the integration of Cunningham Lindsey France, which now combines the former operations of Cunningham Lindsey and GAB Robins Francexpert. 
 
Yann de Mareuil, Chief Executive of Cunningham Lindsey France said: “With these two acquisitions, Cunningham Lindsey France now has a wholly-owned network in France, enabling us to concentrate on expanding our offering to both our local and international customers”.
 
If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Yann de Mareuil directly at:
 
Cunningham Lindsey France S.A
17, rue Saulnier
75009 - Paris
Tel: + 33 1 4022 8000
Fax: + 33 1 4022 8001
Email: ydemareuil@cl-fr.com
 
 
About Cunningham Lindsey Group Limited
 
Cunningham Lindsey Group Limited’s global operating platform consists of over 600 offices and 6,800 employees in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit our website at http://www.cunninghamlindsey.com