Willis Re has formed a Global Life Reinsurance Practice aimed at providing independent advisory and broking services to life insurers, reinsurers, and pension and annuity providers worldwide.
The move follows the appointment of Christian Howells as head of life reinsurance.
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The broker said the new practice will respond to rising demand for more advanced risk transfer, capital management and balance sheet optimisation support in a more challenging market environment.
Developed in collaboration with Willis Towers Watson’s (WTW) insurance consulting and technology division, the practice will use consulting and analytical resources across mortality, morbidity, longevity and pension risk transfer.
Its remit includes analytics, funded and capital-motivated transactions, in-force risk management, portfolio structuring, pricing support, strategic risk transfer advice, and traditional and structured reinsurance.
Howells 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 in senior roles focused on global insurance clients and insurance solutions initiatives in Asia-Pacific.
Willis Re said the new unit broadens its position in the international reinsurance market.
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.”
The London-headquartered broker was established in 2024 as a joint venture (JV) between Bain Capital Insurance and WTW.
Separately, Willis, another WTW business, has partnered with embedded insurance infrastructure provider Kayna and construction workforce platform Kwant to launch KwantSure, a digital insurance programme integrated into Kwant’s workforce management platform.
It is intended to help subcontractors obtain insurance cover needed for project compliance through the same system used by general contractors for workforce operations and certificate of insurance tracking.
