Gallagher announces new Bristol office MD as changes made to regional leadership team

Gallagher has announced that Mark Holmes will become managing director of the broker’s Bristol office.

Holmes currently serves as the managing director of the Swindon and Gloucester offices and will continue in these roles alongside his new appointment.

The broker has decided to expand Holmes’ role to cover Bristol following the retirement of Andrew Ferguson, who has led Gallagher’s Bristol office for the last nine years.

Gallagher’s Bristol office is one of the largest in the south west, with over 100 professionals based in the city offering risk management, insurance and consulting services to clients.

Holmes will report to Cheryl Philips, regional managing director for the south west, in his new role.

Philips said: “Holmes and I have worked alongside each other for a number of years and I know he is a brilliant operator, able to support colleagues and clients alike and ensure the smooth running of this core part of our regional presence.

“Making this key leadership appointment from within shows our commitment to career development and the talent we have in Gallagher.”

Other appointment

Meanwhile, Michael McLaverty became head of office of the firm’s Belfast branch on 1 January this year.

He joined Gallagher in 2022 as an account director, bringing over 25 years insurance experience to the business having started his career at Marsh, before spending 15 years at Willis Towers Watson. 

In his new role, McLaverty will oversee Gallagher’s 50 colleagues based in Belfast who support businesses across many different industries in Northern Ireland.

He will report to Mark Kerry, regional managing director for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Kerry said: ”McLaverty has played an important part of our success delivering consistent client growth and helping the Belfast team achieve record breaking new business sales this year.

”He will be a fantastic leader for our Northern Ireland operations and having the right people leading our risk professionals in the regions is core to our continued success and I am confident that with McLaverty at the helm of the business, we have a fantastic springboard for continued growth in 2026 and beyond.”