Re/insurance broker Willis Towers Watson has announced the appointment of Cyrille de Montgolfier as the new leader of its French business, Gras Savoye Willis Towers Watson.
De Montgolfier takes up the position of Head of France on 27 April and will be based in Paris.
He has over three decades of insurance industry experience and will be responsible for overseeing strategy at Gras Savoye Willis Towers Watson, as well as developing new solutions and driving revenues.
Since early 2019, de Montgolfier has been running an insurance M&A boutique, Nemrod Finance, along with two co-partners.
Prior to that, he served as CEO of La Parisienne Assurance, a leading private insurance company in France.
De Montgolfier also spent 16 years at AXA, where he held a number of leadership positions, including Senior VP for European and Public Affairs, CEO for Central and Eastern Europe, and Head of Human Resources and Internal Communication for AXA France.
“France is a significant and high-potential market for us, both in terms of the scale of our operations there, and because of its sizeable economy and array of dynamic multinationals,” said Anne Pullum, Head of Western Europe at Willis Towers Watson.
“Cyrille is a highly respected leader who brings a wealth of industry knowledge and commercial skills to this critical role,” she added. “He has a strong track record in engaging teams in strategies that deliver high performance and growth.”
De Montgolfier also commented: “I am delighted to join the Gras Savoye Willis Towers Watson team, whose professionalism, commitment and leadership I have long admired.”
“The world is in a very difficult place at the moment and many clients are facing incredibly tough times, but I am convinced that, with our experience, market insights and solutions, we will be able to help them overcome many of those challenges.”
