Willis Towers Watson makes key industry hires in financial lines growth strategy

Broker Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Great Britain has unveiled several new hires from AXA XL, Clyde & Co, JLT Marsh and AXIS to expand its directors & officers (D&O) capabilities within the financial lines and executives risk (FINEX) unit.

WTW said it wants to "attract the best talent available from a broad mix of backgrounds".

The new arrivals include Eve Richards as GB head of FINEX D&O, and Angus Duncan as executive director & coverage specialist. They are joined by Mitchell McBain and Rob Greenwood, who have both joined in recent months from AXIS and JLT Marsh, respectively.

Richards, previously an underwriter, held the position of head of UK financial institutions at AXA XL since 2015. Prior to that, she spent 12 years as a senior underwriter for XL, Munich Re and AIG in London and Dublin, predominantly focusing on financial lines products for financial institution clients.

Duncan joins from Clyde & Co where he was a partner and, before that, spent more than 10 years with Mayer Brown where he was a partner in the insurance and reinsurance practice in London. He has also worked at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, as well as Norton Rose. In total, he has amassed more than 20 years of experience in insurance, working with leading financial lines insurers to draft their policy wordings and advising on high value, complex insurance claims across all areas of financial lines including commercial D&O and crime.

Willis said that as former chair of both Mayer Brown’s and Clyde & Co’s London LGBT+ Groups, diversity and inclusion are high on Duncan’s agenda.

Both Richards and Duncan will be tasked with working with large complex clients on structuring long-term sustainable placements in a move which reflects the need for a more innovative and nuanced approach to D&O cover in a challenging market.

Olivia Cooper, head of FINEX GB, said: “The arrival of Eve and Angus is in keeping with our commitment to build a diverse and market-leading FINEX D&O team. These new hires, combined with our existing mix of underwriting experience and broking talent, means we are able to offer the most up-to-date and comprehensive client service available.

“They join us at an exciting time in our growth strategy, with heightened demand for solutions across the full spectrum of services we offer for UK and international exposures – a demand that is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.”