Coversure has opened its first new office of the financial year.
The new Midlands-based operation has been launched by existing network member Coversure Leamington Spa under a standalone brand, Dharam Rakshak. The broker will focus on helping churches, mosques, synagogues and faith-related charities arrange specialist insurance cover.
Dharam Rakshak will sit alongside the founders' existing general commercial operation, reflecting the network's push to deepen its presence in niche and community-focused segments. The launch comes at a time when the UK charity and faith sectors remain sizable but financially stretched, with many organisations facing rising property, liability and governance exposurers against tighter budgets.
The new faith and charities-focused brand is headed by Amrit Kalyan (pictured, left) and Jason Turrell (pictured, centre), who founded the Leamington Spa franchise in 2016. They will continue to run the original Coversure-branded brokerage in parallel with Dharam Rakshak.
Kalyan has worked in the insurance sector since 2009 across a range of product areas, while Turrell has held customer-facing insurance roles since 2007, building a reputation for helping clients understand and manage their risks.
Faith-based organisations and charities typically require cover that reflects distinct risk profiles, including heritage or listed buildings, safeguarding responsibilities, public liability, volunteer management and events. Many religious buildings are older properties with specific maintenance and protection needs, while charities often balance complex risk and regulatory obligations with limited in-house risk management resource.
Kalyan said the decision to launch a dedicated brand was driven by demand from faith-based and charity clients for advice that reflects their specific values and exposures, while still accessing mainstream insurance markets.
The Coversure network is encouraging members to identify specific market opportunities and build dedicated brands while remaining within the wider group.
Coversure operates what it described as the UK’s only insurance franchise model, with franchise holders running fully authorised brokerages under the Coversure name but accessing central support on compliance, systems, marketing and insurer relationships through the Jensten Group. The model is intended to allow local brokers to combine their own branding and specialisms with the buying power and infrastructure of a national network.
Jordan Maskell, franchisee director at Coversure, said the new venture reflects the type of development the network is looking to promote.
“This is exactly the type of growth we want to encourage across the network. Seeing an established member identify an opportunity, build a specialist proposition, and launch a new brand is hugely rewarding. It shows how Coversure supports long-term business development and we’re excited to see what Amrit and Jason build with this new office," Maskell said.
The broader Jensten Group has expanded in recent years through a mix of organic growth, acquisitions and investment in its network businesses, positioning itself as a mid-market broking group with a focus on specialist lines and schemes. That backing gives franchisees access to a wider insurer panel and placement options, including for clients with more complex or non-standard risks.
The Dharam Rakshak launch points to a continuing shift towards specialism in UK broking.
Boards and trustees are facing closer regulatory scrutiny, cyber and safeguarding concerns, and rising property and liability costs. At the same time, many charities and faith-based bodies rely heavily on volunteers and community fundraising, which can leave them exposed if covers are not correctly structured or if policy wordings are poorly understood.
Specialist intermediaries are increasingly seen as key in translating those needs into appropriate programmes, rather than simply placing off-the-shelf products. As economic pressure and changing patterns of giving continue to affect the charity and faith sectors, the ability to demonstrate both technical capability and sector knowledge is likely to be a differentiator for brokers competing in this space.
