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Kate McInerney

Partner

London

McInerney Kate
Kate McInerney

Partner

London

Kate is an insurance specialist with extensive transactional and advisory experience in the sector. Kate’s clients include insurers, reinsurers, pension scheme trustees, sponsoring employers and banks. As well as having an outstanding record in longevity de-risking, Kate has worked on some of the most significant M&A transactions in the insurance sector in recent years. Kate was seconded to the UK Financial Services Authority for a year, where she was part of a team advising policy makers on the UK implementation of Solvency II.

Kate was awarded ‘Rising Star’ for Corporate at the Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards 2017, and is ranked as an ‘Associate to watch’ by Chambers UK 2018. Her team won Legal 500 Insurance (Specialism) Team of the Year (UK) 2018.

Clients quoted in Chambers (2019) say the following about Kate:

“She’s very good, and she’s very sharp. She’s quite a presence; you don’t forget her. She’s very sharp, and she’s prepared to battle for her client good and proper. The fact that she’s Aussie might help.”

“She is extremely able, technically very strong, a tough negotiator, and good fun to work with.”

“She’s very bright; she’s also very friendly, and has a great grip on the details of everything. She thinks ahead and thinks forward, and she’s also very collaborative about it, and isn’t aggressive.”

Other noteworthy experience includes advising:

  • Scottish Equitable on the acquisition of Blackrock's UK defined contribution platform and the administration business comprising approximately GBP12bn of assets and 35,000 customers.
  • Allianz SE on its GBP1bn retail insurance joint venture with Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society Limited.
  • Advising Aviva on its GBP5.6bn recommended all-share acquisition of Friends Life Group.
  • Aviva on its GBP600m collateralised bulk annuity insurance policy with Pearson Pension Trustee Limited.
  • Aviva on its GPB900m collateralised bulk annuity insurance policy with Marks & Spencer Pension Trustee Limited.
  • Co-operative Group Limited on its GBP185m sale of insurance underwriting business, CIS General Insurance Limited to Markerstudy.
  • MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc on its investment in ReAssure Jersey One Limited, a subsidiary of Swiss Re Life Capital.
  • The trustees of the ICI Pension Fund on its bulk annuity “buy-in” policies with Prudential, Legal & General and Scottish Widows covering GBP4.2bn of pensioner liabilities in the ICI Pension Fund.
  • The trustees of the BT pension scheme on a GBP16bn longevity swap with the Prudential Insurance Corporation of America. This was the largest longevity insurance and reinsurance agreement to date, and the first to include the establishment of an insurance company by a pension scheme.
  • Guardian Financial Services on the acquisition of approximately GBP5bn of the UK annuity business of Phoenix Group by way of collateralised reinsurance and subsequent Part VII transfer. 

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Publications: 01 March 2023

Artificial Intelligence in insurance – innovating in a world of increased regulation

The potential benefits of deploying artificial intelligence (AI) (and in particular, machine learning (ML) techniques) within the insurance industry have been the subject of much market discussion and…

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Enhancing the insolvency tools for insurance companies

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News: 15 December 2022

A&O advises on multi-billion longevity transaction for Barclays Bank UK Retirement Fund

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Publications: 22 July 2022

Financial Services and Markets Bill - Big Bang 2.0, or more of the same?

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Experience highlights

Office

London

One Bishops Square
London
E1 6AD

View office →

Qualifications

Professional

Admitted as solicitor, South Australia, Australia, 2008

Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 2011

Academic

LLB/LP, Flinders University, 2007

BA, Flinders University, 2007

Pro-bono experience

  • Advised Social Finance Limited in connection with the insurance of a social impact bond

Recognition

Awards & accolades

Team of the Year (UK) 2018

Legal 500 Insurance (Specialism)

"Rising Star" for Corporate

The Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards 2017