Specialist corporate M&A tax advisor Tom Hughes has been appointed as Director of Tax Insurance within Gallagher’s rapidly expanding Private Equity and M&A (PEMA) practice across EMEA, effective January 5th, 2026.
Based in the UK, Hughes, a chartered accountant by profession and specialist tax advisor for the last decade, will be reporting to Giles Hambly, UK Head of Tax Insurance.
Hughes is joining the company 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 & Transaction Services team specialising in M&A.
He brings extensive experience providing tax advisory services to a diverse clientele, including private equity-backed portfolios, midmarket and fast-growth groups, and multinational corporations.
His expertise encompasses a comprehensive understanding of the entire deal process, from due diligence and acquisitions/disposals to complex tax structuring.
Hughes’ hire builds on recent tax specialist hires across Europe as Gallagher deepens its investment in specialist risk expertise. This initiative aims to expand the range of client-focused solutions available to businesses involved in transactional corporate activities, such as acquisitions and mergers.
Gallagher has spent the last year building a top-tier team across Europe, specifically designed to assist clients with M&A transactions, activities within the private capital sector, and a broader range of corporate transactions and activities.
In addition to a number of hires in the Warranty & Indemnity class, in September this year Gallagher announced the appointment of tax specialist Cristina Montserrat Chaparro Vaquero as a Senior Broker, and Pau Lopez Fornons as Associate Broker, to support clients across Iberia.
Prior to that, Joyce Koch and Vera Dembski were appointed as M&A tax insurance broking specialists, supporting clients across Benelux and Germany, all of whom have extensive experience in ‘Big Four’ firms.
Commenting on Tom’s appointment to the UK team, Steve Jones, CEO of Private Equity & 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 Tom 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 Tom in the new year.”
