Gallagher, the global insurance broking and risk management company, has announced five new appointments to its Private Equity and M&A (PEMA) practice in Europe. The new hires expand Gallagher's on-the-ground presence and client-focused expertise in Italy as well as adding regional leadership and relationship management capabilities.
Giulio Greco has been appointed Chief Broking Officer of the EMEA-wide Private Equity and M&A practice and will be based out of Milan. In this newly created role, Giulio will lead and develop the broking strategy for Gallagher's range of insurance-backed transactional risk solutions across the UK, Europe and Middle East working with insurers to ensure the best outcomes for clients. He will report into Alistair Lester, Gallagher's EMEA CEO for PEMA.
Also based in Milan, Carlo Ungaro has been appointed Director of Relationship Management, Southern Europe for PEMA. He will assume responsibility for managing relationships with private capital funds, as well as corporate clients and the wider advisory community, while supporting clients with the delivery of a full suite of deal and post-closing solutions and services.
Dedicated to supporting the private equity and M&A communities within Italy, Federica Marcabruni has been appointed Head of Transaction Solutions, PEMA Italy. A corporate M&A lawyer by profession with more than 10 years' experience, Federica is one of the most experienced transaction solutions professionals in the market. Federica previously worked for Deloitte and Simmons & Simmons and will also report into Alistair Lester.
Reporting into Federica will be Alberto Corolla and Vincenzo Ferrini, who have been appointed, respectively, as Director and Associate Director, Transaction Solutions, Italy. Both are qualified lawyers with backgrounds in corporate law. Alberto previously worked for independent international law firm Giovannelli e Associati and Vincenzo at global law firm White & Case.
Gallagher's new PEMA team in Milan extends the EMEA practice's in-country expertise into Italy, to build on the established teams serving the private equity and M&A communities within the UK, Benelux, France, Iberia, the Nordics and UAE as well as the new PEMA capabilities of Gallagher partners Renomia and Steinmayr across the CEE and Austria regions.
The expansion of the PEMA practice into Italy builds on Gallagher's existing presence in the country, where its specialist treaty reinsurance broking division, Gallagher Re has an established base.
Commenting on the appointments, Alistair Lester, Gallagher CEO for Private Equity and M&A, UK & EMEA, said: "Alongside a vibrant corporate M&A community, private equity funds continue to play a central role in the wider Italian M&A landscape and last year saw a shift from big mega-deals to more mid-market deals and domestic consolidation. Putting an experienced team of transactional risk experts close to the Italian PE funds and portfolio companies — who can best advise and support clients during transactions and beyond — is a key milestone for us. We are delighted to welcome Giulio, Carlo, Federica, Alberto and Vincenzo into Gallagher."
Alex Nagler, CEO of Gallagher in Europe, added: "Being able to welcome such breadth and depth of specialist expertise within the Italian market is testament to the talent Gallagher continues to attract as we expand our footprint across continental Europe. Experienced and ambitious practitioners, who are keen to help build something new and distinctive for clients as trusted advisors, will find a great home in Gallagher."
Globally, Gallagher has been building its M&A, private capital and portfolio solutions operations over the past 12 months, adding a multidisciplinary team of advisors in EMEA and in the US. It offers specialist services and indemnity solutions for corporate transactions including risk and insurance due diligence, warranty & indemnity, structured credit, tax liability and contingent liability, which are increasingly popular among private equity, other funds and corporates undertaking transactions to help them mitigate increased risks caused by the current economic uncertainty.