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Willis Global Aerospace Hires Leading Risk Management Expert as Chairman

Dépèche transmise le 21 septembre 2011 par Business Wire

Willis Global Aerospace Hires Leading Risk Management Expert as Chairman

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Willis Group Holdings plc (NYSE: WSH), the global insurance broker, today announced that Mark Wilford, Director of Risk at Rolls-Royce Group plc, has been appointed Chairman of the Willis Global Aerospace division. He will join Willis on January 1, 2012, and be based in London reporting to Joe Trotti, Chief Executive Officer of Willis Global Specialties. Wilford will replace outgoing Chairman, Andre Clerc, who is retiring at the end of this year. Willis Global Aerospace simultaneously announced two other key internal leadership changes, naming Philip Smaje Chief Executive Officer and Garrett Hanrahan President of the division.

“Mark, Phil and Garrett will form a formidable global leadership team and will drive the continued growth of our business, supporting our delivery of innovation and results thus enhancing the excellent relationships that we continue have with all of our customers and trading partners”

Wilford is recognised globally as a leader in corporate risk management and the implementation of integrated risk management solutions. In 2001, he joined Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air. At Rolls-Royce, Wilford is responsible for the development and operation of the company's approach to Insurance, Enterprise Risk Management, Security, Business and Programme Assurance and the Ethics and Compliance activities.

Prior to joining Rolls-Royce he held senior positions in Johnson Matthey plc and KPMG, in London and the United States. He is a graduate of the University of Warwick and is a Chartered Accountant.

Commenting on Wilford’s appointment, Trotti said, “We are delighted that Mark is joining our team as he brings a wealth of resource and knowledge. His experience as a thought leader in risk management and his knowledge of the aerospace sector gained through his time spent at Rolls-Royce will further diversify our offering and enable Willis to optimise our service offerings across our aerospace client base.”

The other global leadership changes in the team include the appointments of Philip Smaje, who has been with the Group since 1988 and is based in London, to CEO of Willis Global Aerospace and Garrett Hanrahan, who has been with Willis since 2008 and is based in Dallas to President of Willis Global Aerospace.

“Mark, Phil and Garrett will form a formidable global leadership team and will drive the continued growth of our business, supporting our delivery of innovation and results thus enhancing the excellent relationships that we continue have with all of our customers and trading partners,” added Trotti. “We also thank Andre Clerc, one of the most respected and charismatic leaders in our industry, who has been with Willis for eight years, and wish him well in his retirement.”

About Willis

Willis Group Holdings plc is a leading global insurance broker. Through its subsidiaries, Willis develops and delivers professional insurance, reinsurance, risk management, financial and human resource consulting and actuarial services to corporations, public entities and institutions around the world. Willis has more than 400 offices in nearly 120 countries, with a global team of approximately 17,000 employees serving clients in virtually every part of the world. Additional information on Willis may be found at http://www.willis.com/.