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Founder / Operator·Insurance Brokerage

John Wepler

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at MarshBerry

Woodmere, Ohio, USA

JW
Why they matter

As MarshBerry's Chairman/CEO with 300+ closed M&A deals in insurance distribution, he sees nearly every notable brokerage transaction before the market does.

Background

John Wepler joined MarshBerry in 1991 as a financial analyst and rose to become Chairman and CEO, a post he has held for over a decade. He has personally advised on more than 300 M&A and capital markets transactions in the insurance distribution and wealth management sectors, and holds a finance degree from Ohio University and an MBA from Kent State University.

Notable deals

  • 2025
    Led MarshBerry through its acquisition by Chicago investment bank Lincoln International, expanding scale in insurance and wealth management advisory
  • 2023
    Directed MarshBerry's acquisition of UK-based M&A advisory firm IMAS Corporate Finance, expanding into Europe
  • 2022
    Secured growth capital investment in MarshBerry from Atlas Merchant Capital to fund expansion

Call-prep brief

Background

  • Joined MarshBerry in 1991 as a financial analyst; now Chairman & CEO, leading the firm's investment bank, consulting, and data/analytics businesses.
  • Personally advised on 300+ M&A and capital markets transactions in insurance distribution and wealth management.
  • FINRA-registered (Series 24, 62, 63, 79, 99) through MarshBerry Capital, LLC, the firm's broker-dealer arm.

Current Focus

  • Just closed MarshBerry's own sale to Lincoln International (announced Sept 2025), integrating MarshBerry's insurance/wealth M&A practice into a larger private capital markets platform.
  • Prior to that, grew MarshBerry via the 2023 IMAS Corporate Finance acquisition (UK/Europe expansion) and 2022 Atlas Merchant Capital growth investment.

What He Cares About

  • Valuation enhancement, organic growth, and perpetuation planning for insurance agencies/brokerages.
  • Scaling MarshBerry's advisory platform globally (US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, France offices).
  • Maintaining MarshBerry's brand and culture through the Lincoln integration.

Sensitivities

  • MarshBerry is mid-integration with Lincoln International (deal announced Sept 2025, regulatory approval pending) — he may be constrained on forward-looking comments about MarshBerry's independent strategy or conflicted discussing competitor deal flow.
  • As a sell-side advisor to insurance brokers/MGAs, he needs to stay neutral among prospective buyers, including PE sponsors.

Questions to Ask

  1. How does the Lincoln International integration change MarshBerry's role and independence in advising insurance brokerage/MGA sell-side deals?
  2. Which sub-segments of insurance distribution (MGAs, wholesale, retail P&C, benefits) is he seeing the most valuation multiple expansion in right now?
  3. What deal structures or terms is he seeing become more common in 2025-2026 insurance brokerage M&A given rate environment shifts?

Outreach draft

Subject
Insurance brokerage M&A perspective request
Hi John, I lead deal sourcing on our insurance distribution team, and your work advising 300+ M&A transactions at MarshBerry — most recently the IMAS and Lincoln International deals — caught our attention. We're actively evaluating opportunities in the brokerage and MGA space and would value your read on where valuations and deal structures are heading heading into 2027. Would you have 20 minutes in the next couple of weeks for a call? Happy to work around your schedule. Best, [Placeholder Name]

Linked companies

Sources