International loss adjuster Crawford & Company is set to re-establish its brand in New Zealand through an associate arrangement with Cerno NZ.

It is understood the shareholders of Cerno NZ, who are primarily loss adjusters, approached Crawford & Company with an offer to switch brands.

Crawford’s Australia CEO Andrew Bart says the new arrangement, effective from November 1, will give his company access to the skills of 200 staff across 25 locations in New Zealand.

“Cerno came to us and it was a very natural fit, so it was good for both of us.”

Cerno NZ is merging with high-end loss adjusters Thomas Pasley & Associates, and the new business will trade as Crawford & Company.

“It enables us to provide a seamless service to the Australian and New Zealand markets and, importantly, it further strengthens our catastrophe response capability in Australia, New Zealand and across the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Bart said.

Cerno NZ was formerly MYI (McLarens Young International). It changed its name in July last year, 12 months after MYI Freemans in Australia adopted the Cerno brand.

CEO Dean Garrod says the move is “an ideal strategic fit” that will allow expansion and improvement of services to New Zealand clients.

More details in our regular bulletin on Monday.