News

Two of WCN's Biggest Members Signal Loyalty to Willis With Long-term Deals

London, UK, June 20, 2010 – The Willis Commercial Network (WCN) – a thriving partnership between independent UK insurance brokers, leading insurers and global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH) – today announced two of its largest members, Berkeley Insurance Group UK Ltd and Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Ltd, have committed to remain with WCN in long-term deals.

Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Ltd has committed to an extended ten-year deal and Berkeley Insurance Group UK Ltd has signed for another five years.  The two broker members bring a combined network-traded premium of £30 million to the growing WCN, which was established in 1999 and includes invited members from all regions of the UK. The network currently has 85 members.  

Beaumonts, based in Bradford, is a leading independent intermediary and risk management consultancy and offers transactional and advisory services on all types of non-life general insurance products.

Commenting on their extended ten-year commitment to Willis, Simon Bland, CEO said, "We pride ourselves on our independence and we've found our autonomy has been preserved being a part of the Willis Commercial Network. Willis provides a great deal of clout in the market and we have particularly valued the specialist teams within Willis, which have helped us continue to offer a range of complex services to clients."

Berkeley Insurance Group, established in 1973 as Berkeley Burke and headquartered in Leicester, is one of the UK's largest privately-owned independent insurance brokers. The broker joined the WCN in 1999 dealing with Corporate clients and specialising in a variety of sectors, including Property, Construction, Leisure, Charites, Professional Indemnity and high net worth personal insurance.

On recommitting to the WCN for a further five years, Tim Maxted Chief Executive, Berkeley Insurance, said, "When we formed Berkeley Insurance Group in 2008, following a management buy-out, we conducted an extensive review process of both Willis and other networks' offerings and the Willis Commercial Network came out top. In the time we've been members, we've found its advice and expertise to be invaluable to growing our business."

Phil Scarrett, Managing Director, Willis Networks, said, "The fact that two leading independent brokers like Berkeley Insurance Group and Beaumonts are willing to put pen to paper and commit to our network says a lot about the value they derive from their association with the Willis Commercial Network.  Our network is only as good as the sum of its constituent parts, so it's vital that we retain high-calibre companies such as these. We look forward to our continued partnership with them in the years to come."

Willis Commercial Network Members – Heartland and Peter Hattersley's – Recognised with CII Broker Awards

London, UK, June 1, 2010 – The Willis Commercial Network (WCN) – the growing partnership between independent UK insurance brokers, leading insurers and global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH) – today announced one of its longstanding members, Heartland (Midlands) Ltd, and its newest member, Peter Hattersley & Partners Ltd, have been recognised with 2010 Chartered Insurance Broker Awards by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

Heartland ( Midlands) Ltd scooped the Chartered Broker Corporate award at this year's British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) 2010 Conference and Exhibition in recognition of its contribution to driving greater professionalism in the insurance sector. The award also recognises Heartland's commitment to continuous professional development and Chartered status.

Peter Hattersley and Partners Ltd, was highly commended in the Chartered Broker Corporate award category.

Phil Scarrett, Managing Director, Willis Networks, said, "We are delighted that these two outstanding members of the Willis Commercial Network have been recognised by the CII. WCN prides itself on the quality of brokers we invite to join our network, and these awards are a further testament to the strong reputations Heartland and Peter Hattersley enjoy in the marketplace."

Alasdair Stewart, head of corporate development at the CII, stated, "We were delighted with the number and the quality of responses we received from across the broking sector. We spent a considerable amount of time examining all entries. It was a tough selection process and I believe both Heartland and Peter Hattersley deserved to be recognised for all the hard work they have done".

The inaugural CII Chartered Insurance Broker Awards programme, open to more than 2,600 individual CII members and 62 firms holding the Chartered Insurance Broker title, were judged on criteria focusing on professionalism, ethics and exceptional customer service. Corporate firms also had to demonstrate evidence of professional development programmes for their employees and examples of consumer facing literature.

Additions Bring Membership in Two Networks to 106 Independent Brokers

London, UK, April 1, 2010 – Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), the global insurance broker, today announced that six new members have joined Willis Networks, its partnerships with local, independent insurance brokers in the UK, bringing the network's combined membership to 106 firms.

Willis Networks is made up of the Willis Commercial Network (WCN), which represents brokers placing annual premiums of between £3 million and £40 million, and Willis N2, representing smaller community brokers with up to £3 million in annual premium placements. Each of these networks has seen the addition of three new broker members in the past few months.

The newest members of the WCN are Willis & Company (Insurance Brokers) Ltd., Waterfront Insurance Brokers Ltd. and Mitchell Charlesworth Insurance Solutions Limited. Willis Commercial Network now has 85 members. Details of the new members are as follows:

• Willis & Company (no direct connection to Willis Group Holdings) is an independent brokerage and financial services consultancy established in Belfast over 30 years ago and the first in Northern Ireland to achieve gold accreditation from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). Billy Bennington, MD comments, "Membership of WCN underpins our strategy of continued independence and we look forward to the benefits of this key development over the coming months".
• Waterfront Insurance Brokers, based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was established in December 2009 and serves commercial manufacturing and property owners. The new venture's Principle, Steve Manning, has returned to the Network after buying back his business, previously known as Wilkinson Rogers, from Oval.
• Mitchell Charlesworth Insurance Solutions Limited is a leading North West firm of chartered accountants and business advisors with offices in Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington and Widnes. They have established a new general insurance brokerage.

Willis N2 announced that Absolute Insurance Brokers Ltd., Executive Benefit Consultancy Limited and Wilsons Insurance Group will join the now 21-strong network:

• Absolute Insurance Brokers is a privately-owned and independent company, based in Croydon, Surrey. Established in July 2009, Absolute aims to provide an exceptional personal service to corporate clients.
• Executive Benefit Consultancy Ltd, a financial services broker based in Glasgow, was established more than 10 years ago. It plans to build on its excellent client relationships to expand its new commercial insurance broking arm.
• Manchester-based Wilsons Insurance Group, established in 1969, has ambitious plans to develop its commercial account with the support of the Network.

The six new members are in addition to the two new Northern Ireland-based Network Members, McCausland Light & Rankin and Dickson & Co, that were announced in January.

Phil Scarrett, Managing Director, Willis Networks UK, said, "We are thrilled to have added these six fine firms to our network – a great start to our year.  We hope this will set the pace for the rest of the year, as we move closer to our goal of attracting more than 100 members to each of these networks, respectively.  Our network members enjoy the benefit of having access to Willis' global resources and expertise, allowing them to meet any client need. We welcome our newest members and look forward to working with them as part of our network community."