Specialist M&A tax adviser Tom Hughes has been appointed tax insurance director within Gallagher’s rapidly expanding Private Equity and M&A (PEMA) practice in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, effective January 5, 2026.
Hughes, who is based in the UK and has been a professional chartered accountant and professional tax adviser for the past ten years, will report to Giles Hambly, head of UK tax insurance.
Hughes joins the firm from EY, where he has spent the past five years as a member of the firm’s corporate M&A tax team, most recently as a senior manager in the international tax and transaction services team, specializing in M&A.
He has extensive experience providing tax advisory services to a diverse range of clients, including private equity-backed portfolios, mid-market and fast-growth groups, and multinational corporations.
His expertise includes a comprehensive understanding of the entire transaction process, from due diligence and acquisition/dispositions to complex tax structures.
Hughes’ hiring builds on recent hires of tax experts across Europe as Gallagher deepens his investment in specialist risk expertise. The program is designed to expand the range of customer-centric solutions available to businesses involved in corporate transactional activities such as acquisitions and mergers.
Gallagher last year established a top-tier team in Europe that specializes in helping clients with M&A transactions, activities in the private capital sector and wider corporate transactions and events.
In addition to multiple hires in the warranty and indemnity categories, in September, Gallagher announced the appointment of tax experts Cristina Montserrat Chaparro Vaquero as senior broker and Pau Lopez Fornons as associate broker to support clients throughout Iberia.
Prior to this, Joyce Koch and Vera Dembski were appointed as M&A tax insurance brokerage specialists to support clients in the Benelux and Germany, both with extensive experience at ‘Big Four’ firms.
Commenting on Tom joining the UK team, Steve Jones, CEO of UK Private Equity & Transactional Risks, said: “The UK tax insurance market has grown significantly over the past five years, driven by high levels of M&A activity, corporate restructurings, portfolio recapitalizations and increasing complexity and risk in the wider tax environment.
“To ensure we can proactively support any client with specialist tax insurance solutions, we continue to invest in experienced and well-respected practitioners like Tom who can tailor our support and solutions to best meet their needs.
“As we continue to build the UK PEMA team as part of the wider EMEA and global practice, attracting talent from within and outside the industry, we are focused on delivering innovative and impactful risk transfer solutions across a range of market segments and situations. I very much look forward to welcoming Tom in the new year.”