A promising future for Inser and Verlingue
Pierpaolo Ruggeri, Inser CEO said, "We are excited to announce Inser's participation in WBN's 70th Global Conference to be held in early May in San Diego. This event marks our first appearance in an international context together with Verlingue following last year's acquisition. It is an opportunity to demonstrate how combining our strengths can generate added value and new solutions for our clients and the market, addressing global challenges with a fresh perspective and amplified resources. Participation in RISKWORLD 2024 is just the beginning of a journey that will see us play an active role in setting new industry standards."

Keep following us for more information about participating in this event.

In 2023, the Adelaïde Group will achieve a total turnover of 400 million euros, an increase of 18% compared to 2022.  These results exceed the targets set and the Group's strategic ambition to achieve a turnover of more than 400 million euros by the end of the IMPACT24 plan.

Thanks to new acquisitions in Europe, the Group is continuing its internationalisation policy, with 25% of its business generated outside France. Over the last 4 years, the Group has made 9 acquisitions or participations (*).

At the same time, the Group is stepping up its innovation and digitalisation efforts by launching distinctive new services for its customers, particularly in the property sector with Goodloc, as well as new customer extranets and a new mobile application for Génération.

In 2023, customers once again confirmed their relationship of trust with the Group's teams, both in terms of customer experience and continuous improvement in service quality, expressing full satisfaction in the Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey.

"In a fast-moving industry, our positioning as an independent broker allows us to thrive while ensuring very sustainable growth and reconciling a personalised and profitable approach. We are proud of these results, which testify to the unwavering commitment of our teams and the solidity and efficiency of our Group, which will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2023," said Jacques Verlingue, Chairman of the Adelaide Group.

Verlingue, the subsidiary specialising in corporate protection, which has been managed by Anne-Jacques de Dinechin since mid-2023, recorded total revenue of €285 million in 2023, an increase of 19%, of which 50% was organic growth. Verlingue's activities outside France account for 35% of this total, thanks to an external growth strategy that has seen the creation of new offices in Europe, notably in Italy with the acquisition of a majority stake in the Italian broker Inser, and in the UK.

Over the last 4 years, Verlingue has made 4 acquisitions outside France - in Portugal (2020 and 2022), Italy (2023) and the UK (2023) - and 2 acquisitions in France - Cabinet Depeyre and Depeyre Solutions (2023).

Génération, which specialises in the management of health and social care contracts, is consolidating its growth with an increase of 18% compared with 2022, reaching a turnover of €102 million in 2023.  This growth will be accompanied by an expansion of the client base, with more than 2.4 million beneficiaries in the health sector and 1.1 million in the pension sector, for a total of €1.6 billion in benefits paid out. In addition, the personal lines business is showing promising growth with more than 150,000 members.  At the same time, Génération is continuing its territorial expansion with the opening of a new office in Saint-Nazaire, consolidating its multi-site strategy.

In 2023, Cocoon, which specialises in the distribution of health and pension insurance to individuals, strengthened its management team with the arrival of Fanny Ridet as General Manager.  With a turnover of 13 million euros, Cocoon aims to become a recognised player in the digital and ethical distribution of integrated healthcare solutions.

"In this 2024, we are pleased to maintain the dynamic development of the Adelaide Group and to exceed the objectives of our ambitious strategic plan. Our results continue to grow steadily, fully demonstrating our commitment to delivering ever greater value to our customers," said Gilles Bénéplanc, Chief Executive Officer of the Adelaïde Group.

Adelaïde confirms its ambition to become a leading broker in Europe thanks to its independent and family-run model

One year after the official conclusion of the Impact 24 strategic plan, the Adelaïde Group's growth is dynamic and in line with its objectives, and its financial performance is also on target.

With an increase in the percentage of Verlingue's turnover generated internationally, the Group is firmly committed to European expansion.

"Our performance demonstrates our commitment to the European strategy. As an independent, family-owned company, we want to preserve this identity while expanding our activities in France and abroad.  These results confirm our ability to offer an alternative to large global or financial brokers," says Benjamin Verlingue, Deputy CEO of the Adelaïde Group.

A future change of leadership in the name of innovation and growth

In 2024, there will be a major change in the Group's leadership when Benjamin Verlingue takes over from Jacques Verlingue as Chairman.  This transition is part of continuity and reflects a firm commitment to preserving the Group's independence and innovative spirit.  As the baton is passed from one generation to the next, the Adelaïde Group can count on a solid foundation and an established strategic position.

With a team of more than 2,500 employees, Adelaïde aims to recruit more than 250 new talents in 2024, in addition to the 300 new employees who joined the Group in 2023.  The Group will continue to promote a policy of training, integration and development to support the professional development of its employees.

The Adelaïde Group

The Adelaïde Group specialises in consulting, brokerage, distribution and insurance management. Its raison d'être is to enable its clients to conduct their business through good risk control, helping them to protect their business and their employees.  For more than 90 years, the Group has never stopped taking risks, growing and reinventing itself to become one of the leading insurance brokers in France, with three successful companies: Verlingue, Génération and Cocoon. Organic growth and strategic acquisitions, international expansion and digital transformation are the 4 objectives the Group has set itself to build a large, family-owned and independent insurance brokerage group on a European scale.  2,500 employees | 3,000 million euros in negotiated premiums | 2.4 million insured in the health sector and 1.1 million in the pension sector | present in 5 European countries: France, UK, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy | www.adelaidegroup.fr

(*) 5 acquisitions or participations outside France - Portugal (2020 and 2022), Italy (2023) and the United Kingdom (2023) - and 4 in France - Angelus (2022), Zenioo (2022), Cabinet Depeyre (2022) and Depeyre Solutions (2022).

In Judgment No. 206/2023, the Court of Belluno, upholding the plea of prescription, rejected the plaintiff's claim, on the following grounds.
First of all, devoid of interruptive value was considered (i) the surveyor's inspection,given that, pursuant to Article 2943 of the Civil Code, the statute of limitations is interrupted only by those who have the legitimacy to interrupt it, i.e. the holder of the right, which in the present case is only the company.
The assignment and role of the adjuster is simply to perform the verification and estimation of the damage, and not to represent the company.
Secondly, (ii) the payment made by the insurance company was also found to be incapable of producing interruptive effects. Indeed, despite the fact that by constant case law the partial payment made by the debtor is equated with the recognition of debt under Article 2944 of the Civil Code, the same cannot be said in the present case, since the sum was paid by the company with reference only to property 6; while no payment was made for property 21.
The twofold regime of typicality, to which the discipline of Interruption is imprinted, requires, on the one hand, the identification of the subjects holding the power of interruption, and on the other hand, the ways (and therefore the acts and facts) in which the interruptive effect can be produced by the legitimated subjects (Articles 2943 and 2944).

Finally, (iii) the correspondence between the company and the insurance company (with which the plaintiff had sent updated damage estimates) were also deemed to lack interruptive effects.
According to the Judge, it is not necessary that the request contain special formulas or diction, but it is sufficient that it expresses the will to obtain payment of the damage: interruptive effects of the statute of limitations are all those behaviors that express the creditor's clear and unequivocal will to exercise his right.

For further study:
- Court of Belluno, Judgment 206/2023;
- Cassazione, Judgment No. 33486/2023.

Finally, Article 25 regulates "Digital Procurement Platforms", which are those platforms to be used by individual contracting stations, to enable digital interconnection with national ones.
It follows that each contracting station will have to have a digital platform as a requirement for participating in the nation's e-procurement ecosystem.

However, at the first application stage, some operators have cast doubt on the capacity of the residual provision on the containment of public spending in Article 1, paragraph 450 of Law 296/2006 (the so-called 2007 Finance Act), which, for procurements under five thousand euros, provides an exemption from the use of the electronic market and the use of telematic systems for carrying out procedures. The application uncertainty is also fueled by the new article 48, paragraph 3, of the Code, in the mind of which "The obligations of use of purchasing and negotiation provided by the current provisions on the containment of spending remain in place."

From a reading of the two provisions, it would seem that the obligation for contracting stations to make use of digital platforms does not operate for awards of up to five thousand euros.
The ANAC president's communiqué of January 10, 2024, closes any interpretative uncertainty, recalling in fact that the digitization discipline does not allow for hypotheses of derogation or exemption, given that the entire cycle of public contracts must be managed through certified digital procurement platforms.
More precisely, for administrations that do not yet have a certified digital platform, the ANAC president invites them to make use, subject to agreement, of certified platforms made available by other contracting stations or granting bodies. Instead, for direct awards of less than five thousand euros, contracting stations, until 09/30/2024, will have the option of acquiring the CIG using - in the absence of their own digital platform - the web interface made available by the PCP (Public Contracts Platform).

Thus, the digitization of micro-contracts is also ensured, in harmony with the new system of e-procurement, which represents a real revolution in the world of public contracting, because it claims to bring significant benefits in terms of simplification, rationalization and speeding up of procedures, as well as respect for legality, reduction of corruptive phenomena, through increased transparency, traceability, participation and control of all public evidence procedures.

For further study:
- Communication of the President ANAC of January 10, 2024.

The first three principles-also called "super principles"-have foundational value for all the other provisions of the code; while the others (Art. 5 - 11) have more preceptive value.
Article 2, titled "Principle of Trust," which is linked to Article 1 ("Result Principle"), requires Economic Operators to have confidence in contracting stations. In other words, arriving at a result requires "trusting" the Administration and its choices.
For this reason, contracting stations must be given maximum discretion in order to make procurement faster, thus trying to overcome past problems related to "fear of signature" or "defensive bureaucracy."
Turning to the jurisprudential review, it should be noted that recently the Administrative Court for Sicily - Catania detached section, ruling no. 478/2024, has endorsed this approach: indeed, the intention of the legislator to enhance the decision-making autonomy of public officials, in order to reach the best possible result, is confirmed.
However, the discretion of the Public Administration is not unlimited, but becomes reviewable in cases of manifest illogicality and reasonableness, or when the basis was a decisive error of fact.

In particular, in the judgment just passed, the Judges found the appeal brought by the economic operator who came second in the tender to be well-founded, given that "the broadening of the contracting authority's evaluative powers cannot, in the opinion of the College, imply that it can make manifestly illogical or unreasonable choices, where the latter, as is considered to have happened in the tender in question, determine the risk of not obtaining the best possible result, and, therefore, of damaging the public interest underlying the call for a tender procedure" (TAR Sicilia, sezione staccata di Catania, Sezione III, no. 478 /2024).
The virtuous choice must be made by ensuring the best possible relationship between quality and price, as well as satisfying the public interest that the Administration must aim for.

For further study:
-TAR SICILIA, detached section of Catania, Section III, no. 478/2024.

D. Lgs. No. 184/2023: the insurance obligation and private areas

The main revolution introduced concerns precisely the expansion of the insurance obligation (amendment Art. 122 of the Private Insurance Code Decree 209-2005), which now also includes the circulation and parking of vehicles in all private areas, with the exception of specific situations. Specifically, regardless of the public or private area on which they are used, the following are subject to the obligation of RCA insurance:

- Any motor vehicle propelled solely by mechanical power running on land but not on rails, with a maximum design speed exceeding 25 km/h or a maximum net weight exceeding 25 kg and a maximum design speed exceeding 14 km/h;

- Any trailer intended for use with a vehicle referred to in number 1), regardless of whether it is coupled to it or not;

- The light electric vehicles identified by a special decree of the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy and the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, in consultation with the Minister of the Interior, to be adopted within ninety days from the date of entry into force of this provision.

The impact of Legislative Decree 184/2023.
This reform also affects Article 122 of the Private Insurance Code (Legislative Decree 209/2005), which governs the obligation to insure motor vehicles. At the moment, the interpretations are not unambiguous, first and foremost those of Confindustria (20-02-2024), which believes that the obligation to take out a motor RCA policy under Legislative Decree No. 184 of November 22, 2023 is sanctioned only for vehicles as means of transportation, with the consequent exclusion of any other vehicle with a different usual function, such as forklifts.
While waiting for the competent authorities to intervene in providing the correct interpretation of the new regulations, considering that any claims involving forklifts or other means of handling complying with the above technical characteristics could be contested by the Company RCT policy (which, as is well known, does not include damages resulting from the circulation of motor vehicles subject to compulsory insurance), with obvious criticality, it is recommended and encouraged to provide for the "mapping" of the vehicles used in the company.

A transition that unites and consolidates the values of the company and the French Group: the visual elements that customers and all stakeholders have come to know and appreciate over time have not been changed but have evolved with the awareness and pride of belonging to a true international entrepreneurial family, specialised in protecting businesses and not only.

With offices in France, Portugal, Switzerland, the UK and now Italy, Verlingue employs 1,350 people, 550 of them internationally, and negotiates premiums of more than 2,350 M€ on behalf of its European clients.

"Protecting today, imagining tomorrow is the claim, the version of Verlingue's slogan that we have chosen for our communication on the Italian territory." says Rossella Carapezzi - Head of the Communication and Quality Division at Inser Spa, “In line with the original concept, the claim best represents our corporate vision, which will be complemented and perfected thanks to this acquisition. Working with a major international group and colleagues from other European offices will allow us to increase our expertise and offer truly innovative solutions in the insurance brokerage market to Italian companies and communities, helping them grow and protect themselves".

Although still in a transitional phase, the construction of the new identity represents an important and crucial moment for Inser, marking the beginning of a new way of relating to the market and to people.  "A model capable of putting the daily needs of the  customer at the centre, but not only that: the company organisation itself is evolving in new directions, in an operation that over time will go far beyond the simple rebranding of the brand", explains Pierpaolo Ruggeri, CEO of Inser Spa "new values to draw on, new ambitions that go beyond the boundaries of territories, new technologies and new proposals for the  markets".

"I am very pleased with the way  we have worked together in this first phase of the brand transition," says Thomas Barbelet - Communication and Marketing Director of the Adelaïde Group, to which Verlingue belongs. "A new era begins today and the next chapter is already underway, with the invaluable collaborations of Inser colleagues whom I thank and in whom I place my trust. I am sure that, together, we will be able to capitalise on our values and the strength of a brand like Verlingue to achieve . sustainable development, full of opportunities, for the benefit of all our customers".

Participation in the CIAB Broker Challenge represents a valuable opportunity for professionals, enabling them to:
- hone their leadership skills;
- Establish new professional connections on an international level;
- foster cooperation and knowledge exchange within the group.

The previous edition saw Verlingue achieve an excellent third place, demonstrating the high competence and strong commitment of its representatives.

We wish Manuel Gentili and the whole team to surpass last year's excellent result, confirming the excellence and dynamism that characterize Verlingue in the international insurance brokerage scene.

An innovative approach to risk management
The proposal of Inser Spa is divided into a series of services that cover every aspect of the insurance process:
1. Risk analysis and assessment: close cooperation with the institution to identify specific insurance needs;
2. Technical and economic analysis: verification of existing insurance cover and benchmarking;
3. Definition of the insurance programme: tailor-made strategies to improve and update insurance contracts;
4. Policy management: selection of insurance companies and technical and administrative management;
5. Assistance in the tender of policies: complete support in the preparation of documents and in the evaluation of offers;
6. Claims Management: assistance from reporting to damage settlement, with an integrated approach;
7. Legal advice: availability of internal lawyers to provide insurance legal advice;
8. Expert advice to protect the Authority: services dedicated to the field of procurement.

Optimisation of self protection clauses in public works contracts
The realization of public works introduces a series of distinct risks, manifested at various stages of the project, including damage during the execution and post-execution of the work, as well as damage to third parties. These risks can have significant repercussions on the client, threatening the financial integrity and image of the Public Administration. Although the Code of Public Contracts provides for a set of safeguards to protect the procuring entity, the ineffective use of such tools may compromise their protective effectiveness.
In this context, Inser Spa has developed an advanced model of advice and support, starting from the analysis of the specific risks of the work, to adequately elaborate the clauses of self-protection. This approach focuses particularly on the scope of CAR (Construction All Risks) and POSTUMA policies, detailing:
For the CAR Policy:
- Damage to the work: specifying sums/ceilings for direct damage, for pre-existing works, and for demolition and clearance costs.
- Liability Damage Section: Introducing specific derogations to overcome standard limitations, adapting coverage to the specific needs of the project.
For the POSTUMA Policy:
- Section damages to the work and to third parties for civil liability: defining specific sums/ceilings and personalized derogations that reflect the peculiarities of the work, going beyond the norms generally recalled in the technical specifications.
This method allows to draw up clear and highly protective technical specifications for the contracting entity, minimizing disputes during the award and signature of the contract, and above all, protecting the client from any possible adverse event, mitigating the risk associated with the implementation of the public work.

A reliable partner for the safety of public authorities
Through a personalized and technically advanced approach, Inser Spa is confirmed as a strategic partner for public authorities, ensuring maximum protection and optimal risk management. The combination of technical skills, experience in the sector and scrupulous attention to the specifics of each customer makes our company the ideal choice for Public Entities looking for reliable and innovative insurance solutions.