Willis Towers Watson
In 1828 Henry Willis began his career as a merchant selling imported goods on commission in the UK at the Baltic Exchange in London.
Willis applied for membership of Lloyd’s in 1848, where he started to broker insurance for the cargoes of commodities he sold on commission. As his enterprise grew, he became involved in the hull business, establishing himself in marine insurance and founding Henry Willis & Company.
Today WTW, created by the merger of Willis and Towers Watson in 2016, aims to provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital to help make organization more resilient, motivate workforces, and maximize performance. It operates in 140 countries and markets.
Marsh launches insolvency practice
Marsh has launched a dedicated practice to provide risk and insurance advice to insolvency practitioners in the UK.
Willis Commercial Network celebrates two CII awards
Willis Commercial Network has announced that two members, Heartland (Midlands) and Peter Hattersley & Partners, have been recognised with 2010 Chartered Insurance Broker Awards by the Chartered Insurance Institute.
News Analysis: Brokers swarm ExCeL at Biba 2010
Emmanuel Kenning reviews a successful Biba conference at which brokers networked with insurance leaders and debated what the future holds under the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
Insurance Age interview: An even keel
For Phil Scarrett, managing the network operation at Willis is all about striking a balance between the need for growth and maintaining the community spirit. He tells Martin Friel how he keeps everyone happy.
Biba news: 'Black swans' are no longer 'freak' occurrences, cautions Willis boss
Willis chief executive and chairman, Joe Plumeri, has warned the broking industry that 'freak' occurrences are increasing in frequency and that the industry must adapt to this reality to survive.
BIBA 2010: Willis CEO questions FSA's "grandfathering" of Quinn
Willis chief executive Joe Plumeri has questioned the Financial Service Authority's (FSA) role in the problems revolving around Quinn Insurance.
UK Broker Awards now open for entries
The 2010 UK Broker Awards are open for entries
Garwyn appoints new CEO
Garwyn has appointed Stewart McCulloch as its new CEO with effect 1 June 2010.
Willis international results affected by weak UK market
In its first quarter results for 2010 Willis Group reported a net income from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2010 of $204m (£134m) compared with $192m last year.
Willis appoints director
Willis Group Holdings has appointed Michael Somers as a director of the company and member of the risk committee of the board of directors.
Marsh grows Maidstone team
Marsh has appointed Steve Adams and John Bellingan, who both previously worked for Willis in Maidstone, to drive its new business development strategy and client servicing in the South East.
RFIB raids Willis for director
RFIB Group, the international Lloyd’s insurance and reinsurance broker, has announced the appointment of Karl Haynes as director of international claims.
UK Broker Summit 2010: Serious business and pleasure
The second annual UK Broker Summit was held recently at Horsham in West Sussex. Emmanuel Kenning shares the highlights from the speeches, meetings and social activities
UK Broker Awards: Get noticed
The UK Broker Awards are open to intermediaries of all sizes. Martin Friel highlights the benefits of being shortlisted and offers tips on crafting that winning submission.
Regional review: Scotland
George Stubbs, MD, George Stubbs Insurance.
New additions take Willis networks' membership past the 100 mark
Willis Networks has signed six new members bringing the networks' combined membership to 106 firms
Willis set to make redundancies, according to market sources
Willis has started another round of redundancies, Insurance Age's sister title Reinsurance has learnt.
Faber & Dumas hires business development director
Gerry Tollan has joined Faber & Dumas, the wholesale brokerage division of Willis Group Holdings, as business development director.
Willis Risk Solutions appoints head of sales and client development
Fiona Gilvey has been named head of sales and client development for the risk solutions group of Willis UK & Ireland and takes up the position immediately.
Willis Group's revenue and income rise in 2009
Willis Group Holdings, the global insurance broker, today reported results for the year ended December 31, 2009, which showed a $134m (£84.4m) rise in net income and $500m growth in revenues.
Willis names interim CFO
Willis Group Holdings has announced today that Stephen Wood, the company's global group financial controller, has been named interim chief financial officer.
Reportage: streamlining - Avoiding the chop
The redundancies of valuable staff are often the knee-jerk reaction in a recession. Edward Murray examines how brokers can cut costs without leaving businesses struggling when the economy recovers
Aon raids competitors for aviation team
Aon has made six new appointments to its general aviation team, specialising in industrial aid and commercial aircraft.
Central raids nationals for Glasgow operation
Central Insurance Services has announced several key appointments to its newly-opened Glasgow office