Beyond sits down with Dean Fletcher and  Zahid Taj, the co-founder’s of Kentaro Ltd and learns about their unique approach to the world of commercial insurance brokers.

After over 40 years of combined experience in the commercial insurance business, Dean Fletcher and  Zahid Taj decided it was time to set up their own firm and deliver a modern, free-thinking commercial insurance service that was built entirely around customer relations and high service standards.

The Kentaro senior team

To the pair, who are based in Horsforth, Leeds, it was never about churning numbers or onboarding huge volumes of clients, it was always about finding the perfect commercial fit for each client and offering a truly personal service to commercial businesses and entrepreneurs.

Talking about their success in the market, Dean said: “Kentaro was founded by myself and my business partner Zahid Taj in 2024. Having worked together in senior management at the same Leeds based company for 25 and 18 years respectively, we watched that business grow from a revenue of around £2 million all the way to over £15 million before it was eventually sold.

“After the sale, we both spent time working in the corporate world and took a great deal of guidance and experience from that environment. However, it is a world that can sometimes flatten entrepreneurs and often makes the customer service journey less fruitful than it should be and that’s really where the idea for Kentaro came from – a desire to bridge the gap in commercial insurance”

Operating primarily in the mid-market commercial space, Kentaro’s clients are typically those who won’t have their own risk management resource in-house, meaning they need genuine guidance and counsel from a proactive broker.

Dean Fletcher

Zahid said: “Client visits are an absolute must when it comes to the Kentaro way of working. We are a broker that truly engages with our customers — we write business and then we service it. We work across a wide range of sectors including construction, manufacturing, warehousing, high-end motor trade, leisure, bars and restaurants, and media, to name but a few.”

While Kentaro was initially formed by Dean and Zahid, such has been their success, the business is now backed by group investors who control £32 million in premiums which provides them with the firepower of a large group whilst maintaining the personal touch of an independent.

But in a world of online purchasing and AI taking over so many roles, is there a fear it will detrimentally disrupt the insurance industry? It is a theory that Dean accepts but one he believes will not impact their business.

He said: “We should absolutely embrace the opportunity AI presents but it will never replace the human touch, and it will never engage in the kind of negotiations that commercial markets demand.

“What AI is fantastic for is back-office speed — like administration and comparisons –  but it can’t compete with those personal relationships.

Zahid Taj

As for the rise in fully automated, online-only insurance purchasing, Zahid believes that while it is fine for single-click personal policies such as car insurance and travel insurance, it is not effective for business insurance and high net worth personal insurance.

He said: “No two high net worth individuals or companies are the same, and they cannot be forced into a fixed question set. I have seen on many occasions how this approach creates all sorts of gaps in cover — and when gaps appear in cover, that’s when people find out the hard way that they weren’t properly protected.

“That is exactly why the human element, the conversation, and the expertise of a knowledgeable broker remains so critical in these spaces.”

In the space of a year, the business continues to grow and while a lot of regional brokers have sold out to large international consolidators, Kentaro has filled that gap with their experience, market knowledge and personal service in which they truly excel.

Dean added: “It’s a very exciting time. We’ve grown year on year, we have a great base in Horsforth in Leeds, and whilst we service clients across the whole country — including international clients — our heartland is very much Yorkshire: York, Harrogate, Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax and Wakefield. That’s where we do most of our business and with the vast majority of work coming through recommendations, it says everything about how we operate.”

Unit 1 Low Hall Industrial Estate
Low Hall Road,
Horsforth,
Leeds LS18 4EG

T: 0113 5135942
E: info@kentaro.co.uk
W: kentaro.co.uk