Category: Press Release

McGill and Partners continues rapid expansion with new Bermuda operation

McGill and Partners is set for further expansion following regulatory approval for its Bermuda operation. The office will officially open later this month. The Bermuda office will complement McGill and Partners’ other international operations as it continues with the rapid build out of its global specialty business. 

Kate Vacher has taken on the role of CEO for the McGill and Partners Bermuda entity. Kate began her career in London, as an underwriter at Lloyd’s, before joining Aspen Insurance as one of the original team. Since then, Kate has held a number of senior roles including Group Director of Underwriting with responsibilities for planning, reinsurance purchasing and capital optimization across all lines (Property, Casualty, Specialty Insurance and Reinsurance).  

She was also Active Underwriter of the Aspen Syndicate for six years before moving to Bermuda as CEO of the Aspen Bermuda platform. Kate will report into Angus Milgate, Head of International Treaty Reinsurance at McGill and Partners.  

Kate is a further addition to the Treaty Reinsurance team which has grown substantially in the last year. Since its inception in May 2019, McGill and Partners has undergone significant growth and now has a presence in London, New York, Miami and Dublin, in addition to the new Bermuda hub. Headcount has also grown substantially, and now surpasses 360 colleagues hired.  

Angus Milgate, Head of Treaty Reinsurance at McGill and Partners comments: “For decades, the (re)insurance market in Bermuda has consistently innovated to maintain its position as a major global (re)insurance centre. We expect this momentum to continue as Bermuda is a world-class (re)insurance marketplace for both financial and human capital, and a natural location for McGill and Partners. Kate brings an incredible breadth and depth of experience, together with extensive industry contacts and we are delighted to have her on-board for this exciting milestone in the McGill and Partners adventure.” 

 Steve McGill, CEO of McGill and Partners comments: “Bermuda was a clear next step for us as we continue our international expansion, and we are excited at the prospect of the hub growing over the next few years. Direct access to the market in Bermuda will help to facilitate mutual success across all our offices and compound the firm’s significant growth. We are delighted to have Kate on board to take the reins of the Bermuda office. The whole team is looking forward to working with her.” 

McGill and Partners to sponsor Kings Cross Steelers and the East London Vixens 

We’re delighted to announce our sponsorship of the Kings Cross Steelers and the East London Vixens rugby union teams. 

The Kings Cross Steelers was founded in 1995 as the world’s first gay-inclusive rugby union club. The club strives to tackle homophobia, promote and increase visibility of LGBT+ athletes in sport, as well as contributing back to communities. This includes a partnership with Harlequins, Monash University and Sport England to develop a pilot education programme in grass roots rugby to address homophobic and racist language in rugby.  

The East London Vixens are a women’s rugby team that, since being founded in 2011, have enjoyed three league wins and two promotions. In November 2020, the Kings Cross Steelers and the East London Vixens formed a partnership which will see the Steelers’ successful ‘Pathway to Rugby’ programme opened to all genders.  

Our sponsorship of the two teams highlights our commitment to doing things differently and supporting diversity. Since being founded in May 2019, we have endeavored to be different by design, focusing on creating bespoke (re)insurance solutions for larger clients and/or clients with complex and/or challenging needs.  

We are committed to building diversity, equality, and inclusion into the fabric of the business which makes it a natural partner for the Kings Cross Steelers and East London Vixens. This two-year sponsorship of the Steelers and Vixens will include our branding appearing on both team’s jerseys as well as the opportunity to work closely with the teams on events, talks and community projects.  

Steve McGill, CEO of McGill and Partners comments: “Since founding McGill and Partners, we have committed to being a catalyst for change in the industry and making bold decisions which create a real impact on diversity and inclusion. The opportunity to sponsor the Kings Cross Steelers and the East London Vixens aligns with our commitment to partner with purpose and support firms that are making tangible strides in combatting discrimination and promoting inclusion.  

We are very excited about this partnership with both teams and look forward to supporting them through the upcoming seasons.”  

Matt Webb, Chair of Kings Cross Steelers RFC comments: “We are delighted to have secured support from McGill and Partners. We see it as an endorsement of our work and culture and a vote of confidence in our mission. We look forward to working with McGill and Partners during this 2-year sponsorship and highlight the value of a diverse and inclusive sport club in the national and international sports’ arena.” 

McGill and Partners sets up new Irish entity 

McGill and Partners has launched a new entity in Ireland, marking an “important growth milestone”. 
 
As part of the new entity, McGill has hired Kate Browne as chief operating officer, Ireland and Phillip Rout, partner, broking. 
 
Browne joins from FBD Insurance where she worked as project manager. Previously, she has also served in roles at JLT Specialty, Willis Towers Watson and PwC. 
 
Rout comes to McGill & Partners from AXA XL where he worked for eight years. At AXA XL, he worked in various roles including senior underwriter, casualty underwriter and associate underwriter. 
 
Prior to that, he had roles at Willis Towers Watson, InterRisk Australia, Aon Risk Services and OAMPS Insurance Brokers. 
 
The firm said it’s in the process of setting up a Dublin office. 
 
Stephen Cross, one of McGill’s founders and the CEO of McGill and Partners Ireland, explains that the establishment of its Irish entity will allow the firm to work seamlessly with European clients in a post-Brexit world. 
 
Cross says: “We are looking forward to serving and providing innovative solutions for clients.” 

McGill and Partners highlights dramatic early growth, with new key hires 

We are delighted to share since our establishment only a couple of months ago towards the start of 2019, we have grown our employee headcount from five to 134 and are set to oversee $250 million of premium flow, going into 2020. 

For the next year, we are set to be serving over 1,000 clients and have also initiated preparations to launch in New York and Miami. 

To add to this, we’re delighted to also announce several key appointments that will only add to our growth. Joining founder and CEO Steve McGill, is John Lloyd as Chairman.  

Additional hires that have also started recently include: 

  • Brian Kirwan,  Head of Structured Solutions  
  • Gordon Longley, Head of Marine and Cargo. 
  • Chris Stevenson, Will lead the Complex Property and Casualty division. 
  • Paul Summers, Head of Global Facultative  
  • Tim Halperin-Smith, who joins Tom Sexton, as a Partner in the Renewables, Power and Energy team.  

Talent acquisition has been at the center of our business strategy from the start, with a unique employment package and highly differentiated culture. 

Steve McGill, CEO of McGill and Partners commented: “We are proud to be building a new British business at scale, despite the context of Brexit. We launched McGill and Partners, one of the largest new business enterprises in the UK in 2019, to provide clients with focused, high quality broking and advice in a consolidating market.” 

“We want to be deliberately different by design, culturally as well as strategically. We’ve created a unique employment package which is built on a contract of trust. Within that, we believe in our staff to do the right thing and do what’s best for them and their work/life balance. I’m incredibly excited about the huge opportunity we have ahead.”