LONDON, Feb. 18, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH ), the global risk advisor, insurance and reinsurance broker, has appointed Sara Benolken as the firm's Global Industry Leader for Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT).
Benolken, an insurance industry leader who has specialized in advising Willis's TMT clients since joining the firm in 2007, will lead the fifth industry group designed to seamlessly connect Willis industry experts with product and geography leaders around the world. The new global industry groups focus on the unique needs of clients within each sector while providing them access to the full range of insurance products and risk management services that define Willis as the analytical broker.
Willis's TMT industry group, along with the four other industry groups announced late last year – Construction, Financial Services, Natural Resources and Transportation – report to Steve Hearn, Deputy CEO of Willis Group. Additional specialized industry groups will be announced in the coming weeks and months.
"Technology, Media and Telecommunications represents one of the fastest growing, and rapidly converging industries worldwide, with a complex set of traditional and emerging risks accompanying its growth," Hearn said. "As an insurance industry leader, Sara Benolken has proven herself, during a career spanning more than 20 years, to be one step ahead of change in this sector, providing clients with the insights, service, creativity and trust that our clients demand in a risk advisor."
"As recent trends have shown, today's global technology companies may well become tomorrow's leading media companies," Benolken said. "As firms' business models, manufacturing processes or geographic footprints evolve, their needs for innovative risk management solutions must evolve just as quickly. Willis offers leading industry knowledge and analytic depth to global TMT firms and I am looking forward to growing our presence even more in the months and years ahead."
Before joining Willis in 2007, Benolken served as managing director of the Strategic Solutions Division at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and, prior to that, was the global industry leader and managing director of Marsh's Technology and Telecommunications Practice. After graduating from Portland State University, she began her insurance career at Sedgwick, which was later acquired by Marsh & McLennan. Benolken has earned the distinction of "Power Broker" on multiple occasions from Risk & Insurance magazine, among other industry honours.
About Willis
Willis Group Holdings plc is a leading global risk advisor, insurance and reinsurance broker. With roots dating to 1828, Willis operates today on every continent with more than 17,500 employees in over 400 offices. Willis offers its clients superior expertise, teamwork, innovation and market-leading products and professional services in risk management and transfer. Our experts rank among the world's leading authorities on analytics, modelling and mitigation strategies at the intersection of global commerce and extreme events. Find more information at our website, www.willis.com , our leadership journal, Resilience , or our up-to-the-minute blog on breaking news, WillisWire . Across geographies, industries and specialisms, Willis provides its local and multinational clients with resilience for a risky world.
Media: Nathan Hambrook-Skinner + 44 2031 248 716 Email: Investors: Peter Poillon +1 212 915 8084 Email:
