Following the merger of Just Retirement and Partnership Assurance completed in May last year, the group confirmed a rebrand to Just.
The merger of the individual retirement income, care and defined benefit de-risking market firms resulted in JRP Group and gave Just Retirement shareholders 60% with 40% going to Partnership based on completions and business performance.
Rodney Cook, former CEO at Just Retirement, was appointed group chief executive of the group board and staff will be drawn from both companies.
The merger follows a market roller coaster after the annuity changes announced in the 2014 Budget, which took the industry by surprise and heralded plummeting annuity sales.
The Just brand will be rolled out across the group in a phased approach starting with individually underwritten retirement income solutions in January. The company will continue to trade on the London Stock Exchange as JRP Group.
Rodney Cook, group chief executive, said: “Following the merger, a huge amount of work has been undertaken to develop a brand which not only represents the expertise, knowledge and vision of both businesses but highlights our commitment to consumers and our business partners. We are here to help people get the most out of their retirement by providing market leading products, services and making choices easier to understand and decisions more straightforward.”
Victoria Hartley is contributing editor at Mortgage Solutions, Specialist Lending Solutions, Your Money and Your Mortgage at London-based publishing company AE3 Media.
She has an MA in Radio from Goldsmiths after gaining a 2:1 in a Comparative American Studies BA at Warwick University. She also holds a TEFL qualification and taught overseas in Mexico and Japan from 1994 to 1997.
Her role includes editorial oversight of the news, analysis and features, event content management and strategic and editorial consultancy for the AE3 Media group. She is an experienced video, broadcast and live-event host and regularly chairs web and podcast debates and interviews.
Multiple award nominations have resulted in two wins: Santander Media Awards, trade journalist of the year and Headlinemoney Awards, mortgage journalist of the year (B2B). Here is one of the award-winning pieces: https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2011/07/21/exclusive-tale-bailey-fraud-witness/
Previous roles include editorships of Mortgage Solutions, consumer title What Mortgage and trade title Credit Today as well as a stint freelancing for a variety of outlets including The Guardian and Which? Money.
