BY Fraser Tennant
Accelerating its drive toward global expansion, Swedish private equity firm EQT is to acquire UK insurance broker McGill and Partners from US investment company Warburg Pincus in a transaction valued at $2bn.
The combination will see EQT invest behind McGill and Partners’ ambition to drive accelerated organic growth and global expansion by continuing to attract and support specialty broking talent in key markets, invest further in technology and data capabilities, and expand the firm’s digital solutions.
The investment from EQT will also enable McGill and Partners to continue its focus on driving disruptive innovation in a rapidly changing industry, with a differentiated client-first strategy and an exceptional track record of building industry-first digital solutions for clients and carrier partners.
“We are delighted to welcome EQT as our new partner and for our colleagues to retain a significant ownership stake in our firm,” said Steve McGill, founder and chief executive of McGill and Partners. “EQT’s track record of backing high-growth, best-in-class technology-enabled businesses makes them absolutely the right partner for the next stage of our journey.”
In just seven years, McGill and Partners has grown from its founding as an ambitious challenger into a scaled global specialty broking business, with revenues in excess of $250m, bringing together more than 600 colleagues across seven countries and serving over 1000 of the world’s most sophisticated insurance and reinsurance clients.
“We are deeply grateful for the unwavering backing and guidance of Warburg Pincus over the last seven years to help us build the leading specialty broker in the world,” continued Mr McGill. “This milestone is a lasting reflection of a phenomenal partnership.”
Upon completion, Mr McGill will continue to lead McGill and Partners, while John Lloyd, the firm’s chairman, will remain actively involved. Both will remain as significant shareholders alongside the firm’s wider colleague base, while Warburg Pincus will sell its equity stake in full, marking a successful conclusion to the firms’ partnership.
The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals and is expected to close during H1 2027.
“McGill and Partners has established a strong position in specialty insurance broking underpinned by impressive organic growth,” said Matthias Wittkowski, global co-head of services and a partner at EQT Private Equity. “We are at an exciting point in the business’s growth trajectory.”