AIG’s chief operating officer Nicolas Aubert to become Willis UK Insurance chief executive

Willis has appointed Nicolas Aubert as chief executive officer designate of Willis UK Insurance, which includes its combined UK retail and global specialty businesses.

Although initially serving as chief executive designate in 2015, Aubert will report to Steve Hearn, deputy chief executive of Willis Group and current chief executive of Willis UK Insurance. 

Following a transition period and the confirmation of regulatory approvals, Aubert will take up the position as chief executive of Willis UK Insurance to lead the expansion of the firm’s insurance business in the UK, reporting to Willis Group chief executive Dominic Casserley.

 Steve Hearn will continue in his role as group deputy chief executive.

Aubert is currently the chief operating officer of AIG in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and formerly managing director of AIG in the UK. 

As managing director of AIG in the UK, Aubert led one of the largest companies specialising in the UK business insurance market and the London market, with offices located throughout the country.

After joining AIG in June 2002 Aubert served in various senior management positions, including managing director of Southern Europe, where he oversaw operations in 12 countries.

Prior to AIG, Aubert worked in various leadership positions at ACE, global health insurance company, Cigna, and Generali. 

Commenting on the appointment, Casserley said: “Nicolas’s wealth of specialty and retail experience in the UK and abroad, combined with his strong technical knowledge of the market and the evolving needs of complex clients, make him the ideal candidate to drive forward the continued growth of Willis’s business in the UK.  I look forward to working with him closely.”

Aubert added: “Willis’s business in the UK is built around an incredible pool of talent. I am eager to get to work drawing on all of this experience and knowledge to help Willis’s clients with innovative and custom-built risk management solutions. I am excited by the Group’s strategic approach of focusing on the unique needs of clients while providing them access to the full range of insurance products and risk management services that define Willis as the connected, analytical broker.”

Commenting on the appointment, Hearn said: “I am delighted that Nicolas is to join Willis, and look forward to working closely with him in our UK business through the coming period of transition and beyond. Nicolas is a leader in our industry and a great addition to our senior team.”