Partners& expands national footprint with new broker buy

Partners& has acquired the MacDonald Group as part of a plan to establish itself as “the best advisory business in the UK”, said chief executive Phil Barton.

The MacDonald Group was formed in January 2016 when MacDonald Partnership, established in 1978, joined forces with Scottish broker Rankin Risk Solutions.

Now, its team of 50 operates across both personal and commercial lines alongside offering claims management to a wide range of clients.

The group is based across Scotland in locations including Arbroath, Benbecula, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth.

The purchase of the group, which is expected to complete in June, aims to expand Partners&’s knowledge and prescence in the Scottish insurance market.

MacDonald Group will retain its brand as part of the move.

Shared ambitions

Barton explained that partnering with the group builds on the broker’s national expansion plans established in 2020, alongside announcing Ross Dingwall as managing partner (Scotland) in August last year (2021).

He continued: “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 at the 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.”