Partners& enters Scottish market

The deal will see the MacDonald team becoming part of Partners& whilst retaining its brand.

The MacDonald Group, founded in 1978, has a team of 50 based across Scotland in locations including Arbroath, Benbecula, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth providing business insurance, personal insurance and claims management to a wide range of clients. It brings £20m in GWP to Partners&.

Phil Barton, Partners& CEO, said: “In 2020, Partners& set out to establish itself as the best advisory business in the UK. Our strategy, laid out at the time, clearly stated our commitment to building a national footprint, and with the appointment of Ross Dingwall, we specifically sign-posted our intention to establish a major presence in Scotland.

“Since then, we have explored the market, identified MacDonald Group as our number one partner and began the process of building more insight into, and understanding of, this important and attractive market.”

Growth

Barton said that the business was keen to further expand its presence in the Scottish market.

He added: “I am thrilled that Ewan and the team at MacDonald Group share in that vision. Bringing MacDonald Group into Partners&, as the foundation stone of our Scottish plan, is the perfect step. I am hugely excited by our plans for growth, and look forward to building our business in Scotland through further talent recruitment and targeted M&A.”

Ewan MacDonald, managing partner, MacDonald Group said: “We’ve been presented with an unrivalled opportunity to join forces with Phil Barton and the wider Partners& team. Doing so will enable us to fulfil our ambition to be the leading advisory business in Scotland, by becoming part of an organisation whose aim is to be the best advisory business in the UK.

“The Partners& vision is so closely aligned with ours and will increase our capability to safeguard and serve our clients, particularly in these challenging times.”

Most recently Partners& added an employee benefits specialist to the business with its buy of Direct Healthline.

Last year, Barton told Insurance Age that the broker was targeting GWP of £400m and hub strategy.

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