Willis Re, the reinsurance advisory and broking joint venture between Bain Capital (BCIS) and WTW, has launched a Global Life Reinsurance Practice, with Christian Howells set to lead it as Head of Life Reinsurance.
According to Willis Re, the new practice has been created to provide independent life reinsurance advisory and broking services globally to organisations including life insurers, reinsurers, and pension and annuity providers.
The firm explained that the new practice is a strategic collaboration with WTW’s Insurance Consulting and Technology business, which provides extensive analytical and consultancy resources, enabling it to deliver a broad range of services across mortality, morbidity, longevity and pension risk transfer solutions.
As mentioned, the practice will be led by Howells, who recently joined Willis Re from Macquarie Asset Management, where he served as Head of International Insurance Solutions.
Before that, he spent more than 16 years at Schroders, holding several senior leadership positions serving global insurance clients and leading insurance solutions initiatives across the Asia-Pacific region.
Howells commented, “Life insurers are operating in a market defined by capital pressures, regulatory change, longevity risk and accelerating product innovation.
“The new life practice is designed to support clients beyond the transaction itself, bringing together market insight, analytical rigour and strategic advice to help clients capitalise on market opportunities and strengthen their overall business performance.
“As companies look for innovative ways to manage risk, unlock capital and adapt to a changing market, our role as a trusted and technically differentiated reinsurance broker is key.”
Duncan Briggs, Senior Managing Director in WTW’s Insurance Consulting and Technology business, said, “What truly differentiates this new offering is the depth of actuarial expertise and analytical capability it brings to the market.
“By combining WTW’s Insurance Consulting and Technology business’s advanced modelling, data-driven insights and transaction experience with Willis Re’s broking platform, we are creating a proposition that is genuinely unrivalled, enabling clients to take more informed decisions, optimise capital and unlock value across increasingly complex portfolios.”
