The new name and brand identity marks an ambitious new chapter for the charitable owned Group and its family of specialist businesses including charity insurance specialists WRS Insurance Brokers. 

Owned by a registered charity, Benefact Trust, who give independently to faith-based charities, Benefact Group widen the pool of giving by awarding all its available profits to good causes, regardless of the sector. The new name¹ better reflects the Group’s diversity, breadth and purpose – it derives from Latin and means to do well by supporting a person or good cause.

Originally created to protect parish churches from fire, the Group has been in existence for over 130 years and has grown to become an international family of three divisions: insurance, investments, and broker and advisory, with operations in the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia. It includes over 30 specialist financial businesses including Ecclesiastical Insurance, EdenTree Investment Management, SEIB, Lycetts and Lloyd & White brokers. WRS Insurance Brokers and all of the Group’s other trading brands will continue to operate under their own names, now proudly part of the Benefact Group. 

Benefact Group, which owns WRS, is the fourth-largest corporate donor to charity in the UK² and has ambitious plans to give £250million to good causes by 2025. All of the Group’s trading brands will operate to the same high ethical standards, united in a belief that better business can mean better lives, beyond business and out into our communities. 

The Benefact Group, formerly named Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, has given over £100million to good causes in recent years through various programmes such as the Movement for Good awards, which accepts charitable nominations from both its customers and the wider public; and by giving a proportion of its profits to its charitable owner, the Benefact Trust, who help churches and Christian charities transform lives and communities by tackling difficult social issues such as food poverty, youth deprivation, and by providing and protecting important community spaces by funding building repairs and heritage skills training.

The Group’s giving supports a wide range of causes across different sectors including education and skills, rural, heritage, arts, faith, climate change, animal and wildlife charities.

Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive at Benefact Group, said: “Benefact Group, the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK, is a very different financial services group. We are owned by a charity which means all our available profits can be given to good causes. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do. I’m very proud of our new name which reflects our unique purpose, the breadth of our offering to our trading partners and marks an ambitious new chapter for the Group and our family of specialist businesses.” 

Chris Chapman Associate Director at WRS Insurance Brokers, said: “WRS is delighted that we are part of the Benefact Group, an organisation which gives back financially to great charitable causes.

“At this time in history it is so important to be able to help our neighbour’s in the widest sense. As a business, we have supported churches, faith groups and charities with advice on risk management and insurance solutions for over 20 years. The WRS team are dedicated to delivering high service standards and empathy with our clients.

“It is wonderful that our unique business ownership provides financial support to these charitable communities.”

To learn more about the Benefact Group and its purpose visit: www.benefactgroup.com.