NEW YORK, April 14, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis Group Holdings plc (NYSE:WSH), the global risk advisor, insurance and reinsurance broker has announced two key appointments to further strengthen its capital markets division, Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA).
Rui Huang joins the company as Senior Vice President. Based in Hong Kong, he will be charged with continuing to develop WCMA's capital markets and strategic advisory business in Asia.
Huang has a strong background in both investment banking and insurance, most recently working for investment company Temasek in Singapore, where he had responsibility for sourcing and originating insurance investments in the Financial Institutions Group. Prior to this, Huang spent over eight years as an insurance focused investment banker with Morgan Stanley, Rothschild, Dresdner Kleinwort and Bank of America.
Michael Guo, Head of WCMA Asia, said: "Asia represents a key area of growth both in terms of investment banking and insurance, as economies in the region continue to emerge and grow. Rui's extensive experience in both of these sectors will be a key component in helping us to increase our value proposition to clients in the region."
Also joining WCMA is Quentin Perrot as Vice President of Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) in London, at the end of his notice period in May. Perrot joins from BNP Paribas where he led the origination and structuring of ILS on a global basis. Prior to this, Perrot was a Credit Analyst with BNP, where he performed credit analyses and reviews for insurance clients in the UK, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
Bill Dubinsky, Head of ILS at WCMA, explained: "Quentin will play a key role in helping us to continue developing our global ILS practice, in particular in Europe and Asia, where his ILS structuring experience will prove invaluable to Willis as we continue to grow our ILS business by delivering high quality advice, superior service and execution."
Commenting on the appointments, Tony Ursano, CEO of WCMA, said: "Both our business in Asia and our ILS franchise represent significant growth opportunities. These appointments demonstrate our commitment to continue building a truly world-class insurance investment banking operation. I would like to welcome both Rui and Quentin to the team and express my confidence in the contribution that both will make as we work to deliver ever higher standards of service to our clients."
About Willis
Willis Group Holdings plc is a leading global risk advisor, insurance and reinsurance broker. With roots dating to 1828, Willis operates today on every continent with more than 18,00 employees in over 400 offices. Willis offers its clients superior expertise, teamwork, innovation and market-leading products and professional services in risk management and transfer. Our experts rank among the world's leading authorities on analytics, modelling and mitigation strategies at the intersection of global commerce and extreme events. Find more information at our website,www.willis.com, our leadership journal, Resilience, or our up-to-the-minute blog on breaking news, WillisWire. Across geographies, industries and specialisms, Willis provides its local and multinational clients with resilience for a risky world.
About Willis Capital Markets & Advisory
Willis Capital Markets & Advisory, with offices in New York, London and Hong Kong, provides advice to companies involved in the insurance and reinsurance industry on a broad array of mergers and acquisition transactions as well as capital markets products, including acting as underwriter or agent for primary issuances, operating a secondary insurance-linked securities trading desk and engaging in general capital markets and strategic advisory work. Willis Capital Markets & Advisory is a trade name used by Willis Securities, Inc., a licensed broker dealer authorized and regulated by FINRA and a member of SIPC, and Willis Capital Markets & Advisory Limited, an investment business authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
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