Independent Governnance Group (IGG) has acquired KGC Associates, a specialist governance consultancy firm, it announced today (24 November).
KGC was founded by Kim Gubler in 2002 and provides operational governance services to UK pension schemes. Alongside Gubler, director Lesley Carline and head of research Hayley Mudge will remain with the company following the acquisition.
In a statement, IGG said KGC Associates would retain its branding and operate as a separate business within the IGG group of companies.
As well as leading KGC, Gubler is president of the Pensions Administration Standards Association and an independent trustee for the Smart Pension Master Trust. She said her firm was “a natural fit” with IGG.
Andrew Bradshaw, IGG’s chief executive officer, added: “The first-class reputation [KGC] has built within the industry is based on deep expertise, while its focus on independent evaluation and operational governance services is a natural fit for our existing offering.
“Bringing KGC into the IGG group will allow us to offer our clients more of the governance services they are asking us for, from an established team of industry experts.”
Carline – who joined KGC in 2012 – said: “The pensions landscape is fast evolving with increased regulation, market consolidation, and the advent of new technology driving demand for quality operational governance. We’re already playing our part in shaping how the industry responds to this with our evidence-based insights and solutions, but we want to go further. We’re looking forward to making the most of IGG’s network of offices across the UK to bring the KGC approach to even more clients.”
IGG said it would “continue to evaluate complementary acquisition opportunities” for its business, supported by private equity investment from ECI Partners.
The professional trustee company has made several recent senior hires as part of its growth ambition, including Hatty Goodwin as head of risk transfer and Jeremy Petty as head of IGG’s communications subsidiary Like Minds.
