Willis Insurance and Risk Management

What Willis Insurance and Risk Management does

Willis IRM generates revenue primarily through brokerage commissions on insurance policies placed with a network of long-established local insurers and London market capacity, supplemented by advisory and service fees on risk management, HR, wealth management, and employee benefits engagements. The go-to-market is sales-led and direct, supported by a request-a-quote website funnel, sector-specific thought leadership content, and community engagement through sponsorships such as the Basketball NI League Finals' Weekend (March 2024). Notable recent commercial moves include partnerships with Cloud8 (digital employee benefits platform for SMEs) and Equipsme/AXA PPP (affordable health insurance), pricing from £9 to £66 per employee per month. The firm holds FCA authorisation (reference 309124), Chartered Insurance Broker status, and BIBA membership, and competes on advisory depth, long-tenured client relationships (some spanning 20+ years and multiple generations), and a unique in-house claims defensibility capability rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Willis Insurance and Risk Management

Legal name

Willis & Company (Insurance Brokers) Ltd

Website

https://willisinsurance.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Willis Insurance and Risk Management is a family-owned independent insurance broker and risk management advisory firm headquartered in Belfast, serving commercial and private clients across the UK and Ireland with integrated insurance, risk management, wealth, HR, and employee benefits services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage and Risk Management Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Mid-Market Commercial Package (Package Policies) (FSAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Management Liability (D&O/EPL/Fiduciary) (FSAJAGAD), Commercial Property Insurance (FSAJACAE)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage
• Risk management consulting
• Employee benefits administration
• Wealth management advisory
• Claims handling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance brokerage commissions: Willis IRM acts as an independent insurance broker placing coverage with a network of long-established local insurers and the London market. The firm earns commissions on insurance policies placed on behalf of commercial and private clients across all its service lines (insurance, risk management, employee benefits, HR consulting, and wealth management).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Willis Insurance and Risk Management is an independent insurance broker placing commercial and personal insurance with local insurers and London market capacity. The firm delivers integrated insurance broking, risk management consultancy, wealth management, HR consulting, employee benefits administration, and in-house accident investigation and claims handling services to businesses and private clients across Northern Ireland, the UK, and Ireland.

Product overview

Willis Insurance & Risk Management (Willis IRM) is a family-owned independent insurance broker operating as part of WF Risk Group, serving clients for over 45 years. The company offers an integrated portfolio of insurance, risk management, wealth management, HR consulting, and employee benefits services. Core products include Insurance broking across 25+ coverage types (from motor and property to cyber and professional indemnity), Risk Management consulting services, Wealth Management and financial advisory, HR Consulting, Employee Benefits schemes, and Claims handling with in-house Accident Investigation Services. The company operates specialized Centres of Excellence for Construction, Hospitality & Leisure, Private Clients, Real Estate, Management Risks, and Transportation sectors. Willis IRM also provides digital employee benefits solutions through partnerships with Cloud8 and offers the Equipsme Health Insurance Plan in partnership with AXA PPP healthcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insurance Brokerage Services Comprehensive insurance broking covering property, motor, liability, cyber, professional indemnity, D&O, employers liability, environmental impairment, hotel, manufacturing, taxi, charity, nursery and care home insurance, placed with local insurers and London market capacity for businesses and individuals across the UK and Ireland.
• Risk Management Consultancy Risk assessment, contingency planning and risk management consultancy including Health & Safety Consultancy, Fleet Management Solutions, Business Continuity Planning, Fire Risk Management, Expert Witness services, Training Solutions, and consultancy covering CDM, Legionella, ergonomics, slip testing, noise surveys and environmental consulting for businesses.
• Wealth Management Independent financial advisory including investment management, family protection, personal pensions, retirement planning, venture capital trusts, keyman protection, partnership/director share protection, group personal pensions and automatic enrolment pensions for individuals and businesses.
• HR Consulting Employment services including HR consultancy, recruitment pay and reward, performance management, redundancy management, HR policies and procedures, training coaching and mentoring, salary benchmarking, and managing conduct, capability and grievance issues for employers.
• Employee Benefits Administration Group employee benefit schemes including digital benefits platform for SMEs, group income protection, group life assurance, group critical illness, group private medical insurance, group health cash plans, employee wellbeing programmes, and affordable health insurance for businesses seeking to attract and retain staff.
• Claims Services and Accident Investigation In-house accident investigation and claims handling including liability services, motor services, property services, claims consulting and claims defensibility audits, delivered through the firm's Accident Investigation Services (AIS) division for clients and insurer partners.
• Construction Centre of Excellence Specialist construction insurance covering Contractors All Risks, Erection All Risks, Public/Products Liability, Employers Liability, Non-negligent Liability (6.5.1), Professional Indemnity, Environmental Liability, Latent Defects and Performance Bonds for contractors, developers, demolition contractors, plant hire, groundwork, civil engineering, roofing, scaffolding and waste disposal firms.
• Hospitality & Leisure Insurance Insurance solutions for hotels, public houses, nightclubs and restaurants covering buildings, contents, fixtures, stock, business interruption, money, computers, guest effects, employers and public liability, loss of licence, cyber liability, ransom demands, lottery cover and employee protection.
• Private Clients (High Net Worth) Insurance Comprehensive cover for high net worth individuals including fine art, jewellery, holiday homes, performance cars, yachts, collections and executive high-value homes, with worldwide contents cover, complimentary home appraisals and a no-quibble claims service.
• Real Estate Insurance Asset management and insurance solutions for landlords, funders, solicitors and managing agents, including Fixed Charge Receivership Cover, automatic full cover for 30 days from appointment as Northern Ireland agent for a leading insolvency product, and cover for occupied and unoccupied buildings.
• Management Risks Insurance Coverage for professional advice risk, Directors & Officers liability, Employment Practices Liability, Environmental liability, Crime and Cyber risks, including Professional Indemnity, D&O and Credit Insurance for professional services firms.
• Transportation and Haulage Insurance Fleet and transport insurance covering motor (comprehensive or TPFT), goods in transit (All Risks, RHA, CMR), trailers, employers/public/products liability, property, corporate manslaughter, directors & officers liability, and annual travel with medical and repatriation costs.
• Motor Breakdown Recovery Service UK and Ireland motor breakdown recovery cover for any vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes including vans and taxis, with Silver Cover at £34.99 and Gold Cover at £49.99 (single vehicle) or £54.99 (fleet) per vehicle per annum.
• Equipsme Health Insurance Plan Affordable health insurance plan for SMEs, offered in four coverage levels from £9 to £66 per employee per month through a partnership with AXA PPP healthcare, designed for businesses wanting more than a Cash Plan but unable to afford full Private Medical Insurance.
• Digital Benefits Platform for SMEs Digital employee benefits platform delivered in partnership with Cloud8, enabling SMEs to design bespoke employee benefits packages and manage benefits digitally for attracting and retaining employees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Willis IRM AIS claims handlers deal with 100 claims per month from multi-million pound property losses, industrial injuries including fatalities, high net worth losses, and motor incidents.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Basketball Northern IrelandminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 March 2024Willis IRM was the headline sponsor of the Basketball Northern Ireland League Finals' Weekend, 21–24 March 2024. The four-day event comprised 18 finals across 3 venues, involving 36 teams and 432 players. The sponsorship aligns with Willis IRM's core values of health, wellness, and teamwork, reinforcing brand visibility in the local community.
• Cloud8coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWillis and Cloud8 partnered to introduce a digital employee benefits platform for businesses in Northern Ireland. The partnership enables SMEs to design bespoke employee benefits packages, manage benefits digitally, attract and retain employees, improve satisfaction, and boost productivity. This is a strategic go-to-market partnership targeting the SME segment with a differentiated digital offering.
• Equipsme (with AXA PPP healthcare)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerWillis IRM partnered with Equipsme and AXA PPP healthcare to offer the Equipsme Health Insurance Plan in Northern Ireland. This provides affordable health insurance for SMEs with four levels of cover ranging from £9 to £66 per employee per month. Willis IRM is one of the providers of this plan in Northern Ireland, targeting businesses seeking more than a Cash Plan but unable to afford full Private Medical Insurance.
• WF Risk GroupcoreOthersWillis Insurance & Risk Management is part of WF Risk Group, a family-owned business operating for over 45 years. WF Risk Group has over 150 staff across the UK and Ireland. Willis IRM trades as a division of Willis & Company (Insurance Brokers) Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA reference 309124). Willis & Company also trades as Willis Wealth Management and Willis Employee Benefits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• NFU Mutual: UK mutual insurer with regional agent/broker model providing personal, commercial and farming lines. Comparable to Willis IRM in regional distribution strength and SME/private-client focus, though operating under a mutual rather than independent broker model.

Direct peers

• Bollington Insurance Brokers: UK mid-market commercial insurance broker with strong specialism in construction, motor trade, hospitality and property risks. Highly comparable to Willis IRM in targeting SME/mid-market commercial accounts with sector expertise and bespoke placement.
• Bluefin Insurance Group: UK mid-market insurance broker with specialty practices in construction, real estate, hospitality and management risks. Direct peer to Willis IRM given similar target customer base, centre-of-excellence approach and London-market access.
• Sutton Winson: UK commercial insurance broker specialising in construction, manufacturing, transport and property sectors. Comparable to Willis IRM in vertical specialisation, SME focus and use of London market capacity for complex risks.
• Autoline Insurance Group: Northern Ireland-headquartered insurance broker offering personal, commercial and fleet cover across NI and the wider UK. Closest regional peer to Willis IRM by geography, customer mix (SME, private clients, taxi/fleet) and independent broker identity.
• Lycetts Insurance Brokers: UK regional broker serving private clients, equestrian, rural and commercial lines with strong high-net-worth expertise. Comparable to Willis IRM in blending HNW private client work with commercial specialism and a regional/national footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Marsh Commercial: UK commercial arm of global broker Marsh, serving mid-market and corporate clients across property, casualty, construction and fleet. Comparable as a much larger incumbent competing for the same SME-to-mid-market commercial accounts Willis IRM targets.
• Aon UK: Global insurance and reinsurance broker with substantial UK mid-market and corporate presence. Relevant incumbent peer illustrating the larger competitive set that Willis IRM faces when scaling accounts beyond Northern Ireland.
• Arthur J. Gallagher (UK): Global broker with significant UK commercial and employee benefits practice serving mid-market and corporate clients. Comparable to Willis IRM in commercial lines and benefits brokerage, but at significantly larger scale and with a more developed benefits platform.
• Howden UK & Ireland: Large UK and Ireland broker (formed via Aston Lark and other acquisitions) serving mid-market and large commercial clients across Willis IRM's same sectors. Relevant incumbent comparable given shared mid-market focus, sector specialism and consolidator strategy Willis might pursue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/willis_irm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKGekyzhd2IWB2U-mKdJQ9w
• Facebookfacebook.com/willisIRM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willisirm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Willis Insurance and Risk Management