Arthur J. Gallagher & Company buys UK consultancy Gatehouse
Fortune 500 insurance broker and risk management services firm Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. have announced the acquisition of London-based Gatehouse Consulting. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed by the American buyers, who are headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Chicago.
Gatehouse, which joins Arthur J. Gallagher’s global Communication consulting operations, was founded in 2006 by Simon Wright and Lee Smith. Today the London-based business is recognised as a leading specialist agency with a global client base. The full-service agency offers strategic communications support to UK multinational companies, as well as multinational companies with a UK presence, primarily in the areas of internal change management, employee engagement, employee benefits, recruiting, and training and development.
“Gatehouse Consulting is an outstanding firm that will provide a terrific complement to our existing communications consulting operations as well as tremendous cross-selling opportunities,” said J. Patrick Gallagher Junior, Chairman, President and CEO of Gallagher.Tim Johnson, CEO Gallagher Benefit Services UK added, “We are delighted to welcome Gatehouse to the Gallagher family, they share our dedication to outstanding customer service and the same business approach that has made us so successful. Together we are looking to build one of the most forward-thinking, full-service Communication consultancies in our industry”.
Gatehouse’s clients include more than a quarter of the FTSE 100 companies, as well as a host of leading professional service firms, central government departments and not-for-profit organisations. The buyers are keen not to break up a working team, and so Simon Wright (director and co-founder of Gatehouse), Lee Smith (director and co-founder) and their associates will continue to operate in their current location near Tower Bridge, in the UK capital of London. The trio will run the business under the direction of Leslie Lemenager, head of Arthur J. Gallagher’s international employee benefits consulting and brokerage operations.
Gatehouse co-founder Simon Wright added, “This is a really exciting time for us. From the day we founded Gatehouse over a decade ago we have always had big ambitions for this business. Joining forces with Gallagher provides us with a global footprint spanning 34 countries – the perfect springboard for creating the world’s leading Communication Practice.”
Arthur J. Gallagher have been working to build their communications operations over the course of 2017. In May, the firm appointed a new Chief Marketing Officer in the form of Chris Mead. Mead took on responsibility for the firm’s global marketing and communications strategy and campaigns, and reports directly to global CEO J. Patrick Gallagher Junior.