Two Senior Appointments at HWF Partners

The latest news from HWF Partners;

HWF Partners, the specialist transactional risk insurance broker and advisor, today announces two senior appointments to its fast-growing tax insurance practice. Stuart Cook joins as head of structured solutions in London and Panayiota Burquier as tax director in Dubai, both effective immediately.

Their appointments follow a period of unprecedented growth for HWF’s tax and insurance practice, which over the past 18 months has significantly extended its geographic reach, appointing dedicated tax leads in Italy, Central and Eastern Europe and Spain.

Cook brings more than 30 years of experience in tax, structured finance and transaction origination, including advising on the tax aspects of acquisitions, disposals and complex cross-border transactions. In addition to senior roles at Chase Manhattan, BNP Paribas and Citigroup, Cook spent 15 years as managing director, global co-head of structured solutions at Societe Generale. At HWF, he will be responsible for business origination and the structuring and development of solutions for tax liability and related risks.

Burquier will lead the tax insurance solutions business in the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa region bringing more than 15 years of experience in M&A tax from Deloitte, Gibson Dunn and CMS. She has a strong track record advising on high value M&A transactions, joint ventures, and the tax structuring of investment funds, with a particular focus on cross border deals. She will support clients and advisers in navigating complex tax risks with commercial insight and technical rigour.

Tim Dobbing, Head of Tax at HWF, said: “I am delighted to welcome Stuart and Panayiota, both exceptionally high-calibre specialists, to HWF. Panayiota’s experience, network and entrepreneurial approach make her ideally suited to build our tax insurance proposition across the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa region – a major contributor to HWF’s recent expansion. Stuart’s extensive global finance sector experience will also be invaluable, supporting growth by raising awareness among the structured finance community, which has historically been underserved by the transactional risk market. Investing in specialist leadership across key jurisdictions signifies our confidence in both the product’s growth potential and our own.”