Grupo Catalana Occidente's traditional business companies merge under the new Occident brand

"The corporate merger will complete the corporate simplification process that the insurance group has been undertaking for many years."

The companies that make up the traditional business of Grupo Catalana Occidente (Seguros Catalana Occidente, Plus Ultra Seguros, Seguros Bilbao and NorteHispana Seguros) will be merged into a single entity, which will operate under the Occident brand. This merger is part of the corporate simplification process that the insurance group initiated with the integration of its operating and service platforms, and which later continued with the homogenisation of its products. The aim is to achieve a more agile organisation that responds quickly and effectively to market demands, while optimising processes.

The merger of the companies will be carried out in two stages: firstly, the merger of Seguros Catalana Occidente, Plus Ultra Seguros and Seguros Bilbao, which will operate under the Occident brand, is expected to take place at the end of 2023. In a second stage, planned for later, NorteHispana Seguros will also be integrated.

Once the merger of the four companies is completed, Occident will serve more than 4.5 million policyholders through 15,000 mediators, more than 1,300 offices, and a network of nearly 2,700 professionals (loss adjusters and repairers, among others).

To raise awareness of Occident among policyholders and the general public, this new brand will be introduced under a co-existence model with the current brands on websites, social media, office signage and other materials. The policyholders of each company continue to maintain their current mediator and contractual relations, and will be informed in due course when the respective corporate integrations will take place, which will be carried out after obtaining the corresponding administrative authorisations.

In the words of the Grupo Catalana Occidente’s CEO, Hugo Serra, "Occident represents the essence of what we are: a company that understands and supports people and companies at all stages of their lives, putting itself in their place, to ensure their peace of mind in the present and their confidence in the future. Our wish is that Occident conveys the values of trust, closeness and professionalism that we have brought to all our customers so far". Serra also said that "joining forces under the umbrella of a strong new brand will allow us to compete more effectively".

The process of creating the new brand, which also included market research, was carried out in consultation with the specialist branding agency Mucho. In the development of the logo, Occident has a shorter brand name, which has better legibility and is easier to remember. The integration of the brands under the same name culminates a process that began some years ago with the application of the same symbol, as well as their own typography, in all the companies; the symbol being the representation of a crossroads, that of several entities, which have come together in a success story.