Gallagher appointed Philip Frerks to lead Transaction Solutions in Germany and hired Andrea Karkotis as an Associate Director for Warranty & Indemnity (W&I) in the Netherlands. Announced on 1 October 2026, the appointments add transaction-risk specialists in Frankfurt and Amsterdam to Gallagher’s Private Equity and M&A (PEMA) practice.
What roles are Frerks and Karkotis taking?
| Executive | Gallagher role | Base |
|---|---|---|
| Philip Frerks | Head of Transaction Solutions, Germany | Frankfurt |
| Andrea Karkotis | Associate Director, Warranty & Indemnity, Netherlands | Amsterdam |
Frerks will lead Gallagher’s transaction-solutions work in Germany. Karkotis’s appointment is focused on W&I in the Netherlands. Gallagher’s announcement does not specify an effective date beyond saying the appointments were announced on 1 October 2026. Gallagher’s announcement and a Reinsurance News report published the next day cover the hires.
What experience do they bring?
Philip Frerks
Gallagher says Frerks has a decade of experience advising private equity and corporate clients on M&A-related risks. He joins from Malakut Group, where he was Head of M&A. Before that, he worked as a director in a major broker’s M&A and transaction-solutions division and practised as an associate at White & Case and Sullivan & Cromwell. Reinsurance News also names Noerr among his previous law firms.
Andrea Karkotis
Karkotis joins from Clifford Chance. Gallagher says his work there covered cross-border M&A, infrastructure, renewable energy and real estate transactions across Europe and the Middle East, including commercial contracting, due diligence and transaction management. He previously practised law in South Africa, focusing on commercial and industrial real estate transactions across South and Sub-Saharan Africa.
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What does Gallagher’s PEMA practice do?
PEMA is Gallagher’s Private Equity and M&A practice. Gallagher says it provides services intended to help clients assess and manage risks around transactions, including:
- Risk and insurance due diligence
- Pension and benefit due diligence
- Warranty and indemnity insurance
- Structured credit
- Tax liability solutions
- Contingent liability services or indemnity solutions
Gallagher connects demand for this work to economic uncertainty and competitive deal conditions. That is the company’s explanation for the need for specialist support, not a quantified measure of market demand.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do the appointments fit Gallagher’s European expansion?
Gallagher says Frerks’s appointment follows Federica Marcabruni’s June 2026 appointment for Italy, Gabriella Eriksen Wingren’s July arrival for the Nordics, and Sarah Dezes and Charles Amblard joining in France during the same period. The company presents these hires as part of its effort to expand its European PEMA team and place specialists closer to clients and advisers.
Alistair Lester, Gallagher CEO for Private Equity and M&A, UK & EMEA, described Germany as “one of Europe’s most influential private equity and M&A markets” and “an important pillar of our growth strategy across the region.” He said the strategy is “all about placing experienced specialists close to clients and their advisers in the markets where they operate.”
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Gallagher Europe CEO Alex Nagler called Germany “a strategically important market for Gallagher as a group,” citing the company’s acquisition of Krose earlier in 2026 and its continued expansion across Europe, including the Benelux region. Frerks said Gallagher had “built significant momentum across Europe” and aimed to become a leading adviser to the private equity and M&A community. These are the executives’ characterizations of the company’s strategy; Gallagher’s announcement does not provide market-share, deal-volume or client-outcome figures.
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