NEW YORK, April 15, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis Group Holdings (NYSE:WSH), the global risk advisor, insurance and reinsurance broker, has confirmed Rafal Walkiewicz and Michael Guo as co-CEOs to lead Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA), the firm's insurance investment banking business. They will succeed Tony Ursano, who has led WCMA since 2009.
WCMA advises clients in the insurance and reinsurance industry on merger and acquisition transactions, capital markets products and insurance-linked securities. Established in 2009, the WCMA team operates from New York, London, Hong Kong and, in February 2015, established operations in Sydney to support its increasing volume of work in high-growth Asian markets.
Walkiewicz joined WCMA as a managing director in 2014 after ten years with Goldman Sachs, where he served in the bank's financial institutions group. Guo joined Willis in 2013 as WCMA's head of Asia, having been a Partner and Managing Director of Boston Consulting Group's Financial Services Practice.
Dominic Casserley, Willis Group CEO, said: "Our commitment to WCMA is strong. It sits at the heart of many of the most exciting changes taking place in the re/insurance industry. Rafal, Michael and the whole WCMA leadership team will ensure that our analytical capabilities, strength in reinsurance and capital markets experience are deployed to achieve the very best outcomes for our clients."
He continued, "WCMA is a business with real impetus and energy. I look to the WCMA leadership team to sustain the tremendous client impact achieved over the past several years. I also want to thank Tony for his leadership and hard work building WCMA over the past six years."
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 18,000 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, Hong Kong and Sydney, 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. Since WCMA's formation in 2009, the group has advised on approximately 60 M&A and capital raising transactions and is actively engaged in many more assignments for Willis clients. 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.