Willis Re launches Agriculture team in Asia Pacific and appoints David Gregori as Head of Agriculture for the region
Willis Re, the reinsurance division of Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company (NASDAQ:WLTW), announced today the appointment of David Gregori as Head of Agriculture for Asia Pacific and the set-up of its Agriculture team for the region.
Based in Hong Kong, David will lead the Agriculture team, utilising the Willis Re regional and global network and modelling teams, to support clients and partners in developing insurance solutions to better protect farmers throughout the region. Using a data-driven and analytical approach, the dedicated team of global and local experts will provide customised solutions to address the diverse range of risks and business challenges faced by its clients in agriculture industries, such as crops, livestock, fish farms and forestry.
Prior to Willis Re, David spent more than four years as Head of Global Agriculture at Canopius in Singapore. Before that, he was an Agriculture underwriter at Partner Re. David has been focused on crop insurance for the last 12 years and was involved in the design of a subsidised Moroccan Crop Insurance Scheme, covering approximately one million hectares of farms today.
In addition, the Willis Re Agriculture business in Asia Pacific has made two appointments in India and China:
Dr. Ajay Rakhe leads the Agriculture business in India as Vice President, Treaty – Agriculture. He is based in Willis Re’s Mumbai office and is responsible for developing and managing the Agriculture treaty business along with designing other rural products for clients in India.
Ajay has more than 11 years’ experience in the general insurance business in India, ranging from reinsurance, underwriting and claims, to managing government business. In his earlier roles, Ajay also handled products such as Crop & Weather, Livestock, Health and Personal Accident. He was involved in the implementation of two major national insurance schemes in the Indian market (Crop Scheme – PMFBY – and Health Scheme – RSBY). Prior to Willis Re, Ajay worked in the International Reinsurance and Insurance Consulting & Broking Services. He has also held positions at HDFC ERGO General Insurance and ICICI Lombard General Insurance.
Simiao He, Associate Director of Reinsurance, leads the Agriculture business in China and is based in Willis Re’s Beijing office. She has a comprehensive knowledge of China’s agriculture (re)insurance market and a strong technical background in innovative index products, including weather index, satellite index and revenue insurance. Prior to Willis Re, Simiao spent five years at Swiss Re as an agriculture reinsurance underwriter and graduated from China Agricultural University.
Commenting on these appointments, Mark Morley, Head of Willis Re, Asia Pacific, said: “Asia faces extreme adverse weather events such as typhoons, large scale floods and drought. These bring higher risk of yield shortfalls and failures which can impact farmers, companies and employment, especially with one out of three Asian people working in the agriculture industry. It is therefore important to use agriculture insurance as a tool to help farmers mitigate the financial and production risks and protect their livelihood. The addition of David, Ajay and Simiao to the Agriculture team, and their international and local knowledge will enhance the value we provide to our clients and partners in the agriculture insurance market.”
ENDS
About Willis Re
One of the world’s leading reinsurance brokers, Willis Re is known for its world-class analytics capabilities, which it combines with its reinsurance expertise in a seamless, integrated offering that can help clients increase the value of their businesses. Willis Re serves the risk management and risk transfer needs of a diverse, global client base that includes all of the world’s top insurance and reinsurance carriers as well as national catastrophe schemes in many countries around the world. The broker’s global team of experts offers services and advice that can help clients make better reinsurance decisions and negotiate optimum terms. For more information, visit willisre.com.
About Willis Towers Watson
Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW) is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has over 45,000 employees serving more than 140 countries and markets. We design and deliver solutions that manage risk, optimize benefits, cultivate talent, and expand the power of capital to protect and strengthen institutions and individuals. Our unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, assets and ideas — the dynamic formula that drives business performance. Together, we unlock potential. Learn more at willistowerswatson.com.
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