Gallagher announces specialist tax team appointment

Gallagher has appointed Tom Hughes as director of tax insurance for its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)-wide private equity and M&A practice.

Hughes will join on 5 January 2026, with the broker saying that he ”brings a comprehensive understanding of the end-to-end deal process related to due diligence, acquisitions and disposals and tax structuring”.

The appointment builds on recent tax specialist hires across Europe as Gallagher deepens its investment in specialist risk expertise.

Hughes will report to Giles Hambly, head of tax insurance in the UK.

Experience

Hughes joins from EY, where he has spent the past five years as part of its corporate M&A tax team, most recently as a senior manager in the international tax and transaction services team specialising in M&A. 

Steve Jones, Gallagher’s chief executive of private equity and transactional risks in the UK, said: “The UK tax insurance market has grown significantly over the past five years, driven by high levels of M&A activity, company restructuring, portfolio recapitalisation and increasing complexity and risk in the broader tax environment.

”To ensure we can proactively support any client with specialist tax insurance solutions, we will continue to invest in highly experienced, deeply respected practitioners like Hughes who can tailor our support and solutions to best meet their needs.

“As we continue to build out our UK PEMA team as part of the wider EMEA and global practices with talent from both within and outside the industry, we are focused on delivering innovative and impactful risk transfer solutions across a range of segments and situations. I very much look forward to welcoming Hughes in the new year.”