Broker group McLardy McShane has added Melbourne broker Hunt Insurance Services and McLardy McShane South Gippsland to its authorised representative (AR) and branch network.

It now has 40 ARs and six offices in Victoria and NSW, with the additions part of an expansion drive that will be stepped up this year.

Meg Long – who was last year appointed GM of Empire Insurance Services, the broker group’s licence-holding company – will play a key role identifying opportunities for expansion through acquisitions, joint ventures and partnering with ARs.

Ms Long says the focus will be on expanding in regional Victoria and NSW, with the Victorian regional cities of Geelong and Warrnambool of particular interest.

McLardy McShane recently concluded an advertising campaign on Victorian radio station SEN calling for brokers interested in joining the AR network to contact it.

“We want to invest in people who want to grow their own business,” Ms Long told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “There are a lot of incredibly talented brokers out there who may not be able to fund their growth. We would like to talk to them.”

Ms Long says potential acquisitions need to have “good brands, good locations, strong relationships with clients… with books that have high retention rates over a number of years”.

McLardy McShane was formed in 2007 and is a member of the Steadfast network.