What McGill and Partners does

McGill and Partners is a London-headquartered, independent specialty insurance and reinsurance broker founded in 2019 by former Aon executive Steve McGill. The firm is organized into nine specialty practice areas (Aviation and Aerospace, Marine and Cargo, Complex Property/Casualty/Construction, Financial Lines and Special Risks, Renewables/Power/Energy, Fine Art and Specie, Facultative Reinsurance, Treaty Reinsurance, and Capital Solutions) serving enterprise clients including shipowners, aviation operators, and renewable energy buyers across global markets with operational presence in London and Bermuda. The company generates revenue primarily through brokerage commissions calculated as a percentage of placed premium across these specialty lines.

The firm's core technology is the proprietary Underscore digital broking platform, which algorithmically identifies eligible risks, generates quotes, and binds coverage following lead underwriters' terms, replacing manual document-heavy Lloyd's market placement workflows. The platform extends through Underscore Auton, an autonomous underwriting capability, and integrates with Palantir's Foundry under the March 2026 AIG strategic collaboration to deploy agentic AI for real-time underwriting and capacity deployment across up to $1.6 billion of specialty gross written premiums. Additional digital partnerships with Aegis London and AXA XL extend the Underscore platform to other capacity providers.

McGill and Partners operates an enterprise field sales go-to-market model supplemented by its API-first digital broking channel, selling directly to corporate insureds and cedents via specialty teams and secured capacity relationships. The company is privately held, backed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus since founding, with a reported $300 million credit facility secured in 2025 and a potential sale being explored at a valuation exceeding $1 billion as of January 2026. Reported financial performance includes over 20% organic revenue growth and a 79% increase in adjusted EBITDA in the first half of 2025.

Name

McGill and Partners

Legal name

McGill and Partners

Website

https://mcgillpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

McGill and Partners is a London-based specialty insurance and reinsurance broker founded in 2019, serving enterprise clients across aviation, marine, energy, and financial lines via its proprietary Underscore digital broking platform and capacity partnerships with AIG, Aegis London, and AXA XL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reinsurance Brokerage (FSAEADAE), Treaty Reinsurance Brokerage (FSAOAHAA), Facultative Reinsurance Brokerage (FSAOAHAB)

Keywords

• Specialty insurance brokerage
• Reinsurance brokerage services
• Digital broking platform
• War risk insurance
• Insurance capacity placement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: McGill and Partners operates as a specialty insurance and reinsurance broker, earning commissions on placements of insurance and reinsurance coverage across specialty lines including marine, aviation, property, casualty, financial lines, and reinsurance. Revenue is generated through brokerage commissions typically calculated as a percentage of placed premium.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

McGill and Partners is an independent specialty insurance and reinsurance broker that places complex coverage across ten vertical practice areas (Aviation, Marine, Energy, Property/Casualty/Construction, Financial Lines, Fine Art, Capital Solutions, Facultative Reinsurance, Treaty Reinsurance). The firm earns brokerage commissions on placed premiums and uses its proprietary Underscore digital broking platform to algorithmically identify risks, generate quotes, and bind coverage following lead underwriters' terms, augmented by agentic AI underwriting on Palantir Foundry.

Product overview

McGill and Partners is a London-based independent global specialty insurance and reinsurance broker founded in 2019, operating through a proprietary digital platform architecture anchored by the Underscore broking platform. The Underscore platform serves as the core technology layer, enabling algorithmic risk identification, automated quote generation, and coverage binding across specialty lines. This is supplemented by Underscore Auton for autonomous underwriting capabilities. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of specialty insurance products organized into distinct practice areas: Aviation and Aerospace, Complex Property/Casualty/Construction, Financial Lines and Special Risks, Marine and Cargo, Fine Art and Specie, Renewables/Power/Energy, Capital Solutions, Facultative Reinsurance, and Treaty Reinsurance. Strategic technology collaborations include the AIG AI-driven underwriting platform leveraging Palantir's Foundry for real-time capacity deployment supporting up to $1.6 billion of specialty premiums, and the AEGIS London digital follow-capacity platform. The firm also provides specialized war-risk coverage products including aviation spares war perils coverage and the Ukraine War Risks Reinsurance Facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Underscore: Proprietary digital broking platform for algorithmic risk identification, quoting, and coverage binding.
• Underscore Auton

Products and services

• Underscore Proprietary digital broking platform that algorithmically identifies eligible risks, provides quotes, and binds coverage following lead underwriters' terms across specialty insurance lines; offered to enterprise clients and capacity partners.
• Underscore Auton Autonomous underwriting extension of the Underscore platform enabling automated decision-making for risk assessment and capacity deployment with reduced human intervention.
• AIG AI-Driven Underwriting Platform Collaborative AI underwriting platform developed with AIG that leverages Palantir's Foundry to deliver near real-time data analysis and capacity deployment supporting up to $1.6 billion of specialty gross premiums written across McGill's portfolio.
• Aviation and Aerospace Insurance Specialty insurance brokerage services for the aviation and aerospace sector, including placement of complex aviation risks and coverage for high-value aircraft and aerospace assets.
• Aviation Spares War Perils Coverage Specialty insurance coverage product for aviation spares against war perils while on the ground, protecting high-value spare parts and equipment for aviation operators; covers individual aircraft engines up to $50 million in value.
• Complex Property, Casualty and Construction Insurance Specialty insurance brokerage for complex property, casualty, and construction risks requiring bespoke placement across carriers.
• Financial Lines and Special Risks Specialty insurance brokerage covering financial lines and special risks, including cyber insurance advisory for enterprise and financial institution clients.
• Marine and Cargo Insurance Specialty marine insurance brokerage including marine hull, cargo, liability, and war-risk coverage for vessels transiting high-risk areas such as the Strait of Hormuz and broader maritime zones.
• Fine Art and Specie Insurance Specialty insurance brokerage for fine art, specie, and valuable items coverage for collectors, galleries, and owners of high-value assets.
• Renewables, Power and Energy Insurance Specialty insurance brokerage for renewable energy, power, and energy sectors, including coverage for solar, battery storage, and other clean energy infrastructure in softening market conditions.
• Capital Solutions Insurance-linked capital solutions and capacity deployment services for specialty insurance markets.
• Facultative Reinsurance Facultative reinsurance brokerage services for specialty lines, placing individual risks with reinsurers on a non-treaty basis.
• Treaty Reinsurance Treaty reinsurance brokerage services for specialty lines, arranging reinsurance treaty arrangements between cedents and reinsurers.
• Ukraine War Risks Reinsurance Facility Reinsurance facility providing coverage for Ukraine war-related risks, with maximum line per risk of $100 million following the 2026 capacity renewal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% drop in admin costs reported for brokers using AI tools in digital facilities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• AIGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Long-term strategic collaboration to deploy agentic AI for real-time insurance capacity deployment across McGill's specialty portfolio. AIG provides 25% capacity for up to $1.6 billion of gross premiums written, integrating Palantir's Foundry platform with McGill's digital platform for near real-time underwriting and portfolio management.
• Aegis LondoncoreTechnology or Integration · 3 December 2025Strategic digital partnership using McGill's proprietary Underscore broking platform to algorithmically identify eligible risks, provide quotes, and bind coverage following Aegis London's lead terms. The initiative streamlines traditionally complex placement processes with automated follow-capacity capabilities.
• AXA XLsecondaryTechnology or Integration · 2 June 2025Digital-first partnership with AXA XL's UK & Lloyd's Business to improve efficiency in risk placement through automation and data integration, streamlining underwriting and risk management processes.
• GB SnowsportminorOthersOfficial partner of GB Snowsport, providing brand visibility and sports sponsorship association.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aon Specialty: Global insurance broker with dedicated specialty practice spanning aviation, marine, energy, financial lines. McGill's founder Steve McGill is a former Aon executive, making this the natural incumbent peer for talent and client overlap.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Specialty: Global advisory firm with specialty insurance brokerage capabilities across aerospace, marine, natural resources, and financial lines. Competes with McGill across enterprise specialty placements as part of broader advisory offering.
• Aon Benfield Reinsurance: Reinsurance arm of Aon providing treaty and facultative reinsurance brokerage globally. Direct comparable for McGill's reinsurance brokerage segment, with considerably larger scale and global footprint.
• Marsh Specialty: Specialty division of Marsh McLennan operating in aviation, marine, energy, and cyber specialty lines. Competes broadly in the same specialty markets, but as part of a much larger risk and insurance services portfolio.

Direct peers

• Lockton: World's largest independent insurance broker with substantial specialty practices in aviation, marine, energy, and financial lines. Compares as a peer because of its specialty-broking focus and ability to compete without retail brokerage legacy.
• TigerRisk Partners: Specialty insurance and reinsurance brokerage with focus on complex risks and analytics-driven placement. Comparable in target clients (large specialty buyers) and specialty line breadth across aviation, marine, energy.
• Howden: London-headquartered specialty insurance and reinsurance broker with similar global specialty focus across aviation, marine, energy, and financial lines. Howden has acquired multiple specialty brokers (e.g., Ed Broking) and is a direct comparable in the London specialty market.
• Guy Carpenter: Marsh McLennan subsidiary focused on reinsurance and specialty risk solutions, including facultative and treaty reinsurance brokerage. Direct comparable for McGill's reinsurance segment and specialty risk advisory capabilities.
• Miller Insurance Services: London-based independent specialty insurance broker with comparable specialty lines including aviation, marine, energy, and reinsurance. Direct competitor for London specialty talent and clients, with similar PE-backed growth strategy.
• Ed Broking (Howden): London specialty insurance broker acquired by Howden in 2021, with focus on aviation, marine, energy, and financial lines. Direct UK specialty peer that competed with McGill at founding and shaped the same market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcgillandpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McGill and Partners