WBN announces four new members, three board appointments

Worldwide Broker Network (WBN), the world’s largest global network of independent insurance brokers and employee benefits consultants, has announced the onboarding of four new member firms, a new chairman and treasurer and an additional new board member. The announcement came at WBN’s 66th Global Annual Conference, held last week in San Francisco.

WBN has grown significantly since the appointment of CEO Olga Collins in April 2021. This growth has been achieved through the introduction of eight new network members, two new associate members, a new chairman of the board and treasurer and two new board members, WBN said. The network has also made several appointments to its headquarters team, undertaken a global re-brand, and is currently executing a new business strategy that aims to deliver additional expansion and increased benefits for its members. 

Brian Hetherington, president of Newfront, has been appointed chairman of the board. Gurpal Dhingra, director of Prudent Insurance Brokers, has been appointed treasurer. In addition, Benjamin Verlingue, director of international subsidiaries at Verlingue, has joined as a board member. Hetherington, Dhingra and Verlingue bring more than 60 years of combined experience to the board.

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The newest WBN members are:

Arachas, Ireland’s largest nationwide insurance broker with offices in Dublin, Kildare, Galway, Mayo, Cavan, Waterford and Cork. Arachas offers personal and business insurance
Sanyuu, an independent insurance broker based in São Paulo, Brazil. Sanyuu provides property and casualty insurance and employee benefits. It has written more than $22 million in P&C and $380 million revenue in employee benefits premiums
APR, one of the top five surety brokers in Brazil. APR specializes in property-casualty, surety and auto
D’or APR, a specialist employee benefits consultancy established in 2018 as a joint venture between D’or Consultoria and APR. the Brazil-based business has placed more than $100 million in premium to date

“We have much to celebrate as we close the 66th Global Annual Conference,” Collins said. “We’re welcoming some stellar new members from Ireland and Brazil and we have three new additions to the board, including a new chair. All three bring experience that will undoubtedly help drive our growth agenda, an agenda that is reflective of our shift to becoming a truly client-focused network.”