WestBridge Group has rebranded to WBR Group following the completion of its acquisition of Rowanmoor Executive Pensions’ book of 3,500 small, self-administered pension schemes.
Following the purchase, which was completed for an undisclosed sum, WBR Group now has over 4,000 Ssas pensions and almost 150 employees.
Headquartered in Leicester, the group now has offices in Bolton and Salisbury, following the Rowanmoor purchase.
This is the second major acquisition by WBR following the purchase of the James Hay Ssas book in 2021.
WBR chief executive, Tom Moore noted that the group has been very pleased with the response from stakeholders, and said: “We have made no secret that we are acquisitive for the right books of business and have shown how we can successfully integrate them into the model.
“We are creating a hub of Ssas excellence, with a dedicated account manager model that is hard to beat.”
Set up in 2016, WBR, then WestBridge, provides specialist tax advice to owner-managed businesses and high net worth individuals as well as independent administration, consultancy, actuarial and trustee services for Ssas's.
Moore added: “The business has grown and evolved since its launch in 2016, particularly in the last two years, and we want to ensure that our brand and identity work continues for many years to come.
“It is important to acknowledge the businesses that have joined us through acquisition and to have a clear business strategy that everyone understands and can focus on. That is why we have also unveiled a fresh and modern brand identity and a new name, WBR Group.”
Rowanmoor
Rowanmoor Group Limited is the parent company for the three companies in the group.
These companies are Rowanmoor Executive Pensions Limited, which provides small self-administered scheme services, Rowanmoor Personal Pensions Limited, a Sipp operator authorised and regulated by the FCA, and Rowanmoor Trustees Limited, which provides trustee services.
The Ssas and Trustee firms provide non-regulated services and so neither company is authorised by the FCA.
Back in August, the directors of Rowanmoor Personal Pensions Limited appointed Adam Stephens and Chris Allen of Evelyn Partners as joint administrators after it was found to have failed in its due diligence of an introducer which advised on the unregulated investment.
Earlier this month, the FSCS said information it’s received regarding the collapsed self-invested personal pension arm of Rowanmoor has been “helpful” and that its investigations into the firm are continuing.
jane.matthews@ft.com
