Tag Archives: GK Strategy

GK Strategy Formally Expands Political Advisory Services to United States

GK has agreed a formal strategic partnership with Washington DC based Anchor Advisors to provide integrated insights for private equity investors navigating transatlantic M&A transactions.

GK Strategy is delighted to announce its formal expansion to the United States, to support its private-asset investor clients navigate and engage with policymaking at a federal and state level.

The partnership brings together GK Strategy’s deep expertise in the UK’s policy and regulatory environment with Anchor Advisors’ experience of supporting private equity investors navigate US policy at a state and federal level. The two firms will support private equity and private credit clients and their portfolio companies by providing robust insight to better anticipate regulatory change, assess political risk, and identify opportunities in both markets.

Louise Allen, CEO of GK Strategy said: “We’re delighted to announce the formal partnership between GK Strategy and Anchor Advisors. Private-asset investments are increasingly being shaped by fast-moving policy developments which have the potential to have significant impacts on the commercial environments for businesses operating in both the UK and the US.

Private equity and private credit firms, and the companies they own, are also increasingly looking beyond their traditional geographies to identify compelling investment opportunities, and to limit their exposure to any single region. GK’s partnership with Anchor Advisors means we can offer our clients a clear, connected perspective on how regulatory shifts in London and Washington could impact valuations, deal structures, and long-term strategies.”

Erin Caddell, President of Anchor Advisors, added: “Investors want certainty and foresight. Our partnership allows us to deliver precisely that, by providing clients with comprehensive analysis that spans both sides of the Atlantic, from opportunities presented by US federal and state government action to sector-specific funding trends.”

The partnership reflects a growing demand from private equity and private credit investors for tailored political and regulatory intelligence. By combining local insight with international perspective, GK Strategy and Anchor Advisors will support investors not only to mitigate risk but also to identify new growth opportunities in an increasingly complex global policy environment.

The new international advisory service will be led by Lizzie Wills, Senior Partner and Head of Private Equity at GK Strategy, and President of Anchor Advisors Erin Caddell.

For more information about GK’s US coverage, or to arrange an introductory meeting with the GK team in Washington D.C, please be in touch with Lizzie Wills on lizzie.wills@gkstrategy.com or 07456 794 568.

Budget breakfast

GK Point of View – The GK Budget Breakfast Review

GK Associate Hugo Tuckett reviews GK Strategy’s Private Equity Breakfast, where the Spring Budget and the general election were key discussion topics. 

Will Jeremy Hunt use the Budget to put Labour on the back foot? 

On Tuesday 27 February, GK Strategy was delighted to host professionals across private equity, corporate finance and wider deal advisory at a panel event to discuss what we can expect in politics over the next 12 months. The panel included The Rt Hon. David Laws, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Chris Giles, Economics Commentator at The Financial Times. The discussion was chaired by GK’s CEO, Louise Allen. 

A key theme of the discussion was the Government’s priorities for the upcoming Budget. The panellists agreed that challenges within the UK’s public finances would limit the Chancellor’s flexibility to implement wide-ranging tax cuts in the months leading up to the General Election.  

Instead, they argued that the Government would prioritise smaller, targeted tax cuts that would create a dividing line with Labour. A reduction or phasing out of inheritance tax was touted as the one area where the main opposition party would struggle to match the Conservatives. 

Labour’s immediate fiscal priorities, should it win the upcoming General Election, were also addressed by the panel. David Laws suggested that the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, would have to decide whether to follow Gordon Brown’s approach post-1997 and commit to a Conservative government’s tight spending plans, or as was the case post-2010, label the previous administration financially irresponsible and introduce a series of tax rises and spending cuts to balance the books. 

He later suggested that the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, might try to use the next few months to lay a series of traps for Labour, such as a commitment to reduce income tax in April 2025, in an attempt to create some separation between the two parties ahead of polling day. 

Please get in touch via (hugo@gkstrategy.com) if you are interested in attending future events or would like to set up a call to discuss the year ahead in politics.