Senior Associate

Laura Ekman

Languages

English

Laura Ekman is a Senior Associate in the CMS Financial Services Team.

Laura specialises in financial services transactions and advises a wide variety of clients, in particular, life insurers and reinsurers.

Her experience includes advising on strategic joint ventures and complex M&A transactions in the financial services sector, longevity and asset-based de-risking transactions and associated collateral arrangements, providing regulatory advice relating to the risk transfer market and supporting insurer and reinsurer clients on their negotiations with the PRA and other regulators. Laura has advised insurer clients on Part VIIs, renewal rights and other business transfers.

In 2022, Laura was seconded to the Phoenix Group to support the development of its Open Business.

Relevant experience

Phoenix Group in 2024 on its joint venture with Schroders to establish Future Growth Capital, the first private markets investment manager in the UK to promote the objectives of the Mansion House Compact. Future Growth Capital aims to deploy £10-£20bn over 10 years into UK and global private markets, initially via long-term asset funds (LTAFs).
Insurer and reinsurer clients on complex restructurings of historical derivative transactions and associated collateral arrangements.
Insurer clients on business transfers, including on several Part VIIs and on renewal rights.
Phoenix Group on the simplification of its strategic partnership with abrdn, including the sale of the SLAL UK investment and platform-related products, comprising the Wrap Self Invested Personal Pension, Wrap Onshore Bond and UK Trustee Investment Plan and the acquisition of the “Standard Life” brand.
Numerous trustee and (re)insurer clients on buy-in transactions and longevity swaps, including a longstanding insurer client on what was its largest de-risking transaction at the time, transactions covering both in-payment and deferred lives, and pass-through longevity swap structures, both where the intermediary is a “live” insurer (including with a retention) and where the intermediary is a captive.
Various insurer and reinsurer clients on intricate collateral structures, including to put in place masterised arrangements and to address the requirements of applicable law and regulation in overseas jurisdictions.
A listed life insurance and asset management group with UK, US and EU carriers on its Solvency II group supervision framework and connected negotiations with the PRA and other regulators.
Insurer clients on asset-based reinsurance transactions.
A reinsurer client on the impact of a proposed restructuring on its ability to apply the transitional deduction to its technical provisions under Solvency II.

Education

2017 – LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management, The University of Law, London
2015 – Law LLB, The University of Exeter, Exeter

Practice Areas

Commercial Financial Services & Regulation

sectors

Insurance Insurance Corporate Insurance Regulatory Life Assurance

Insights

Global Reach

UK Pay Gap Report 2024