More than 70 guests - some having travelled from as far away as Italy and the Netherlands - gathered at Pound Gates offices in Ipswich on 16 May to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary.

After a welcome speech by Managing Director Kevin Collins, cofounder Alan Pound took to the microphone to thank clients and staff for their support and efforts during the last 25 years.  

Alan told the story of how he and his late business partner Ivan Gates had started the company back in 1988 after developing a long-standing business friendship. Alan was at Lloyds of London and often did business with Ivan who then worked as a freight forwarding agent in Felixstowe.

Kevin Collins took over Pound Gates in 2002 and has led the business through a period of significant growth. The company has grown to be a prominent commercial broker in the East of England with insurance products that attract clients from across the UK, and in the case of the tank container sector, globally.

Picture:  Kevin Collins (left) and Alan Pound cutting the cake