Announcement: Paul Kempton

Paul Kempton, Managing Director for more than 30 years of Sennocke International Insurance Services, has sadly passed away aged 69, after a short battle with cancer.

Paul lived and breathed insurance, always striving to make a better insurance market. Paul worked in the insurance industry since his early 20s and, in 1990, along with his wife Sally, decided to create his own company ‘Sennocke International Insurance Services Limited’ at their dining table. Starting as a small company of three, Sennocke quickly expanded and became a noticeable name operating in Sevenoaks, utilising Paul’s insurance knowledge to prove themselves in the market.

In later years, Paul created other brands ‘Self-Build Zone’, ‘Build-Zone’, and finally ‘BZSS’. Ever the entrepreneur and family man he always encouraged his staff to do the best for their customers, even leading to many other families joining the company, including Paul’s daughter as their Marketing Manager. Paul is a face of insurance whose name won’t be forgotten, and he had a huge impact on the many people he met and worked with, whether it was explaining his views of the insurance industry over his lifetime to giving someone a chance and a job. Paul has left behind his wife Sally, 3 children and 2 grandchildren who will miss him dearly. He may be gone but his legacy and company will continue to hold the values he instilled in all its’ employees.

His colleagues remember him below:

“Paul has been a friend for over 30 years and a business colleague for 20 of those, although I have been close to the business since it started with my wife Jackie being employed from almost the beginning. Paul’s passion for doing the right thing for customers was evident for all to see and was the cornerstone on which he built the business. His entrepreneurial spirit was what drove us forward, always coming up with new ideas and not afraid to roll up his sleeves and knock down doors to make them happen.

However, It wasn’t only the clients Paul cared about. He also had a huge heart and would not see any friend or member of staff in difficulty. He was always willing to help. I will always remember the day he drove halfway around the M25 to rescue my wife and very young son from the roadside. I was on a cricket pitch and out of contact. My wife suffered a panic attack. Unable to contact me, she called Paul for help. He dropped whatever it was he was doing, rustled up some help from another employee to drive my wife's car home, and went to her rescue, took her home, and waited with her until her mother arrived to take over.

I am so proud that Paul invited me to be part of an exciting journey for the business and what it has become. I will miss his (sometimes close to inappropriate!) repartee, but most of all I will miss his friendship. Rest in Peace, my friend.”

~ Peter Richardson – Director, Sennocke International Insurance Services.

“I’ll never forget meeting Paul for the first time. As he discussed the insurance market his eyes would light up - wasn’t so and so a shocking underwriter? Wouldn’t a binder with that market be amazing? How much business could we write if we had a facility like that? - he was a non-stop passionate entrepreneurial insurance man who loved the market, the cut and thrust, and of course the glass of wine with colleagues clients, and underwriters.

There was barely an underwriter or broker in the market that he didn’t know and he was hugely respected and admired. Over his career, he was one of the only brokers around able to place cover for the “uninsurable” RS Cosworths back in the ’90s and then really found his niche with Building Warranties where he became one of the market leaders - a position which Buildzone have to this day.

I’ll miss Paul’s wit, his knowledge, his endless black book, and his choice of wine over lunch - what a great guy he was. Rest in peace”

~ Peter Blanc – Group CEO, Aston Lark

“Paul was incredibly proud of his team and the successful business they had helped him build over the years. His passion was infectious, his market knowledge staggering, and his never-ending capacity to continue to seek out new ideas and opportunities to develop the business was incredible.

We are so proud that Paul and Sally chose Aston Lark as the future custodian of the amazing business they created and I know that the entire team are determined to live up to expectations and build on Paul’s legacy.

Paul, you’ll be sorely missed!”

~ Stuart Rootham – Group Managing Director, Aston Lark