Strategic Planning for Insurance Brokers and Wealth Management Firms

Michel Schaft joined MarshBerry in 2017 as an Independent Consultant and is currently Managing Director of MarshBerry.

Armand Hoftijzer helps real estate agents in the Netherlands and Europe further with their growth strategy. Since February 2021, he has been linking his expertise and experience to MarshBerry's methodologies and data.

As Managing Director of MarshBerry’s UK office, Olly spearheads efforts to help clients prepare, market and execute transactions by utilizing data rich insights and market perspectives to help them build, enhance and sustain value.

Olly founded IMAS Corporate Finance LLP in 1992 and was responsible for the development of IMAS-insight, IMAS’S central knowledge-based system. He was involved in the majority of IMAS’ transactions and is highly experienced in what makes for a successful transaction and making it happen.

Prior to his roles at MarshBerry and IMAS, he worked for Cazenove and Kleinwort Benson. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Anderson and has a degree in Economics from Exeter University.

Olly takes pride in building long-lasting relationships with decision-makers across the financial services sector based on his knowledge and insights.

As Managing Director of MarshBerry’s UK office, Fred specalises in advising businesses in the wealth and asset management sectors and related areas. He has extensive experience of domestic and international merger & acquisitions (M&A) and capital markets transactions, having focused on corporate finance throughout his career.

Fred was a Partner at IMAS Corporate Finance LLP before it was acquired by MarshBerry and, prior to joining IMAS, he worked briefly for Singer & Friedlander and spent most of his career at JPMorgan Cazenove and Handelsbanken Investment Banking.

Fred trained as an accountant with Touche Ross and holds a BA with honours degree in Economics from Durham University.

As Managing Director of MarshBerry’s UK office, John brings a wealth of corporate finance experience in financial services and, in particular, UK insurance.

John has extensive advisory experience and has advised on multiple transactions covering both public and private M&A as well as IPOs. He particularly specialises in the insurance and has completed multiple deals in the UK, as well as several other European markets. He has extensive experience acting for carriers, including  RSA, MS Amlin and Hiscox. In recent years he has focused mainly on insurance distribution, advising the sellers of a wide range of broking businesses and MGAs. He is the author of the IMAS (now MarshBerry) annual UK Insurance Distribution M&A Annual Review.

Prior to joining MarshBerry, John was a Partner at IMAS Corporate Finance LLP. In addition, he spent more than ten years at N M Rothschild & Sons in its London-based financial services group. John began his career at Ernst & Young and is a Chartered Accountant.

John has an MA in History from the University of Glasgow and a MSc in Finance from the University of Aberdeen.

Marcel van Dijk joined MarshBerry in 2022. Focusing on strategic consulting, Marcel brings to MarshBerry extensive knowledge in business planning and execution.

Prior to joining MarshBerry, Marcel was the Commercial Director of several (global) insurance brands. At the helm of commercial strategies, Marcel is credited with strong business sense, determined decision making, focused action plans and, as a result, strong growth ratios.

Marcel also has a background as a strategy consultant at KPMG’s global boutique firm Nolan, Norton & Co., working with CEO, board, and senior managers to provide strategic, unbiased advice for various business decisions and goals.

His current focus is to position MarshBerry as a thought leader in Europe’s financial markets, bringing MarshBerry’s proprietary expertise to brokers and wealth management firms and guiding MarshBerry’s clients in robust business planning.

Marcel holds both bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration and public administration from the Radboud University, Nijmegen.

Marcin is a specialist with 25 years transaction, commercial and management experience and brings extensive buy-and-build expertise in the insurance brokerage space. Within MarshBerry’s Financial Advisory practice, Marcin focusses on merger & acquisition (M&A) transactions, primarily in Europe.

As part of his responsibilities Marcin manages acquisitions from identification of targets through the negotiation/execution phase to post-closing integration. Marcin has a deep understanding of transaction dynamics as well as the technical complexities.

Before joining MarshBerry, Marcin managed the private equity department of a Dutch family office investing in insurance brokers and Managing General Agents (MGA’s). There he completed over 30 transactions to form the Heinenoord group. Additionally, Marcin worked for 10 years as Senior M&A Counsel for Hexion, a portfolio company of Apollo Global Management – one of the world’s leading private equity investors. He started his career at EY where he worked in the Rotterdam and New York offices.

Marcin received his MBA from the Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management and his Law degree from the Utrecht University. Marcin is fluent in English, Dutch, German and Polish.

Joost Mulder joined MarshBerry in 2019 and is an Associate Director for the international branch of MarshBerry in the Netherlands. His primary responsibilities include merger & acquisition (M&A) advisory, assisting both with buy side and sell side transactions, financial analysis and strategic consulting.

Frits van Deijk joined MarshBerry in 2023 as an Associate Director in the firms Amsterdam, the Netherlands, office. Frits’ expertise includes merger & acquisition advisory, assisting with buy side and sell side transactions, and financial analysis.

Yannick Limburg is an Associate at MarshBerry. His primary responsibilities include financial analysis and buy and sell side merger & acquisition ("M&A") advisory assistance.

As an independent consultant, Jan represents MarshBerry’s full spectrum of insurance brokerage and corporate finance advisory solutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Prior to joining MarshBerry in May of 2023, Jan was general representative of Lloyd’s Insurance Company S.A. and Country Manager Germany and Austria for 12 years. Before that he was Member of the Management Board of Willis in Germany responsible for international business and Client management. Until 2000, Jan was with Aon Germany as Head of Client Services in the Frankfurt region.

From 1987 until 1991, he was Vice President of Joost & Preuss, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia USA.

He started his broking career in 1983 with the German Broker Joost & Preuss Group, which was later taken over by Jauch & Hübener.

Jans dominating skills are focusing on customer relations and international business development.

His role at MarshBerry is to develop the market and especially relations with the Broker community in the Dach Region.