Willis Ltd appoints David Martin as chief executive

Willis Ltd, the main UK-regulated entity of Willis Group, has appointed David Martin as chief executive officer as of May, subject to approval from the Financial Conduct Authority.

Martin succeeds Steve Hearn and takes over responsibilities for all governance, financial, operational, human resources and regulatory matters.

Hearn, who remains deputy chief executive of Willis Group and chairman and chief executive of Willis Global, will continue as a member of the Willis Ltd Board. In his new role, he will report to Rodney Baker-Bates, chairman of Willis Ltd.

In January, Martin was appointed chairman and chief executive of Willis’s insurance business in the UK, which brought together Willis’s global specialty insurance business with the Willis UK retail business. He continues in this role, reporting to Hearn.

Prior to joining the firm in 2013, Martin led global sales and distribution for Zurich’s general insurance business. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Aon, where he was managing director of UK corporate.

Martin said: “Key to Willis’s success is our ability to bring together industry expertise with excellent risk advisory and broking capabilities. I am looking forward to further developing that capability within Willis Ltd for the benefit of our clients globally.”