Willis Re
Willis Re is a private specialized reinsurance broker established in 2024 as a joint venture between Bain Capital Insurance and WTW, providing treaty, facultative, and specialty reinsurance broking and advisory to insurers, reinsurers, and pension providers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Willis Re does
Willis Re is a specialized reinsurance broker established in 2024 as a joint venture between Bain Capital Insurance (BCIS) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW), providing independent advisory and broking services to insurance and reinsurance companies, pension and annuity providers, and increasingly to specialty end-market clients globally. The company operates across treaty and facultative reinsurance, retrocession, life and health reinsurance, and a growing portfolio of specialty lines including cyber, marine, aviation, energy, casualty, and political violence. It generates revenue through brokerage commissions on reinsurance placements, advisory fees on capital management and risk transfer transactions, and fees from structured facilities such as the CyMax cyber facility and Digital Infrastructure Protector.
The firm's core technology stack centers on the Risk IQ broking platform with embedded Climate Diagnostic analytics for forward-looking climate hazard assessment, alongside the Willis Research Network — a long-standing academic-industry partnership with NCAR, Imperial College London Grantham Institute, University of Exeter, UCL, and University of Newcastle providing proprietary catastrophe modeling, hurricane forecasting, and wildfire risk analytics. Willis Re also accesses the Synthetik Political Violence and Terrorism modelling suite (AnyBuildingRisk, Cityscape, SRCC Quantum) under a technology partnership, and integrates AI/ML methods into hurricane forecasting and parametric trigger design. Multi-carrier panel facilities (CyMax with AXA XL, Beazley, HDI Global, Markel; Digital Infrastructure Protector with Zurich; Asia Art with Circle Asia) and embedded insurance partnerships (Qover, Kwant) extend distribution beyond traditional direct enterprise broking.
The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting large financial institutions, with specialized practice teams organized by line of business (Global Life Reinsurance, Global Specialties, Non-Marine Specialties, Aviation, Marine, Property, Treaty). Offices span London (headquarters at 51 Lime Street), Bermuda (90 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton), Ipswich (15 Friars Street), with hiring signals in New York and Singapore. The leadership team has been aggressively assembled from Guy Carpenter, Macquarie Asset Management, Schroders, Conduit Re, and JLT. Regulatory authorizations include FCA (FRN: 1021638) for the UK entity and BMA licensing under the Insurance Act 1978 for the Bermuda entity. Willis Re maintains thought leadership through the Willis Research Network, regular insights publishing, and the Energy Market Review research series.
Willis Re firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Willis Re
- Legal name
- Willis Re (UK) Limited
- Website
- https://willisre.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Willis Re is a private specialized reinsurance broker established in 2024 as a joint venture between Bain Capital Insurance and WTW, providing treaty, facultative, and specialty reinsurance broking and advisory to insurers, reinsurers, and pension providers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Willis Re industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Reinsurance Brokerage
- NAICS
- Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Facultative Reinsurance Brokerage (FSAOAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Casualty Treaty Reinsurance (FSAOAEAD), Casualty Facultative Reinsurance (FSAOAFAB), Facultative Life Reinsurance (FSAOAFAJ), Man-Made / Terrorism Catastrophe Reinsurance (FSAOACAE)
Keywords
Where Willis Re is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Willis Re business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Reinsurance Brokerage Commissions: Willis Re earns commissions on reinsurance placements executed on behalf of clients (insurers, reinsurers, pension and annuity providers). The broker acts as intermediary between cedants seeking risk transfer and reinsurers providing capacity.
- Advisory and Consulting Fees: Revenue generated from independent advisory services including capital management, balance sheet optimization, portfolio structuring, in-force risk management, pricing support, and strategic risk transfer advice for life insurers, reinsurers, and pension providers.
- Facultative and Treaty Reinsurance Broking: Fees and commissions earned from arranging facultative and treaty reinsurance across property, casualty, specialty, aviation, marine, and other lines for clients globally.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Willis Re product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Willis Re is a specialized global reinsurance broker that places treaty and facultative reinsurance, delivers independent advisory on capital management, balance sheet optimization, and risk transfer, and supports clients with advanced catastrophe, climate, and mortality/longevity analytics. It serves life insurers, reinsurers, pension and annuity providers, and corporate buyers across property, specialty, aviation, marine, energy, cyber, and political violence lines, accessing capacity through Lloyd's, Bermuda, and international markets.
Product overview
Willis Re is a specialized reinsurance broker providing advisory and broking services globally across multiple lines of business. The company operates as a unified platform offering core reinsurance products including Treaty Reinsurance (property, specialty, and casualty treaty), Facultative Reinsurance, and Non-Marine Specialties (cyber, political violence, financial lines). Key platform offerings include the Risk IQ Platform with embedded Climate Diagnostic analytics, the Willis Research Network supporting natural catastrophe modeling, and specialized facilities like Digital Infrastructure Protector for data centers, CyMax for cyber insurance, WELL for US umbrella coverage, and KwantSure for embedded subcontractor insurance. Recent additions include the Global Life Reinsurance Practice for life/health reinsurance and the Asia Art Insurance Facility. The portfolio integrates advanced analytics capabilities including hurricane forecasting, wildfire risk analysis, and climate hazard modeling to support reinsurance decision-making.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Global Life Reinsurance Practice Independent life reinsurance advisory and broking services for life insurers, reinsurers, and pension and annuity providers, offering traditional and structured reinsurance transactions, funded and capital-motivated reinsurance, portfolio structuring, in-force risk management, advanced analytics, pricing support, and strategic risk transfer advice across mortality, morbidity, longevity, and pension risk transfer.
- Digital Infrastructure Protector End-to-end lifecycle risk management solution for data center owners, operators, contractors, and hyperscalers that consolidates construction, operational property, marine, and cargo exposures into a single policy backed by over $3bn in capacity from Zurich, with an eight-point digital infrastructure risk framework and access to Willis's Global Digital Infrastructure Group.
- CyMax Cyber Insurance Facility Primary and excess cyber insurance facility for SMEs and middle-market companies with turnover up to €500m / CHF500m, delivered through a panel of AXA XL, Beazley, HDI Global, and Markel with simplified one-page application, pre-agreed pricing grids, and proprietary wordings aligned with GDPR, NIS2, and DORA.
- WELL (Willis Excess Liability Lineslip) Umbrella insurance solution offering up to $50m in combined lead umbrella and first excess coverage for large and complex casualty risks in the United States, structured through a consortium of Lloyd's syndicates under a single policy for organizations with complex or challenging risk profiles.
- Asia Art Insurance Facility Art insurance facility for individual collectors and art galleries across Asia offering comprehensive fine art, jewellery, specie, and exhibition coverage with reduced minimum premium thresholds via Circle Asia's digital platform and Willis's fine art underwriting expertise.
- KwantSure Embedded Insurance Embedded digital insurance program integrated into Kwant's construction workforce management platform, enabling subcontractors to purchase General Liability, Professional Liability, Cyber, Business Owner's Policy, and Workers' Compensation coverage directly through the platform alongside workforce operations and COI tracking.
- GB Affinity Embedded Insurance Ecosystem Embedded insurance technology ecosystem enabling businesses across financial services, retail, automotive, and membership organizations to integrate insurance directly into customer journeys across 30+ European markets, combining Qover APIs and AI-enhanced claims handling with Willis Radar pricing and analytics.
- Parametric Flood Cover for UK Racecourses Sensor-based parametric insurance product covering localized flooding at UK racecourses, using Previsico flood forecasting sensors to trigger payouts, underwritten by Generali with MGA Descartes Underwriting, designed to address protection gaps where traditional cover is unavailable.
- Reinsurance Advisory and Broking Core reinsurance brokerage services including treaty and facultative reinsurance, retrocession, specialty lines (aviation, marine, energy, casualty, cyber, political violence), and analytics-supported risk transfer solutions for insurers and reinsurers globally.
- Treaty Reinsurance Property treaty and specialty treaty reinsurance brokerage for global clients, including retrocession solutions, structured through Lloyd's, Bermuda, and international markets.
- Non-Marine Specialties Specialized reinsurance brokerage across casualty, financial lines, cyber, political violence, and delegated authority business.
- Natural Catastrophe Analytics Analytics services including hurricane analysis, catastrophe modeling, and risk quantification to support reinsurance purchasing decisions and capital allocation.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reinsurers achieved highest-ever aggregate ROE of 21.4% in Q1 2026 (Fitch), improving 16.16 points on combined ratio vs Q1 2025
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Willis Re
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Willis Re technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
Willis Re partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.
- AXA XL, Beazley, HDI Global, Markel (CyMax Facility panel)coreWillis expanded its CyMax cyber insurance facility across EMEA in partnership with AXA XL, Beazley, HDI Global, and Markel. The panel of insurers provides primary and excess cyber insurance capacity for SMEs and middle market companies with turnover up to €/CHF500m. The facility moved from a single-insurer to panel-based structure offering broader access, higher limits, and faster execution.
- Descartes Underwriting (MGA)minorDescartes Underwriting acts as the MGA partner in the parametric flood insurance product for UK racecourses, providing underwriting capacity alongside lead insurer Generali for the sensor-based parametric flood coverage developed by Willis.
- GeneraliminorGenerali serves as the lead insurer for the parametric flood insurance product covering UK racecourses, providing the primary insurance capacity for the policy developed by Willis in partnership with Previsico and Descartes Underwriting.
- Zurich InsurancecoreWillis collaborated with Zurich to develop Digital Infrastructure Protector, an end-to-end lifecycle risk management solution for data center owners, operators, contractors, and hyperscalers. Zurich provides over US$3 billion in capacity for the solution, consolidating construction, operational property, marine, and cargo exposures under a single policy. Willis leads the broking and risk engineering, with Zurich as the lead capacity provider.
- Circle AsiastrategicWillis partnered with Circle Asia to launch Asia's first art insurance facility for individual collectors and art galleries, designed to address gaps in traditional fine art insurance with lower minimum premium entry points. The facility leverages Circle's digital platform and Willis's fine art underwriting expertise, expanding Willis's specialty capabilities in Hong Kong and across Asia's growing art market.
- QoverstrategicWillis partnered with Qover to expand its GB Affinity technology ecosystem for embedded insurance solutions. The partnership combines Qover's APIs, real-time dashboards, and AI-enhanced claims handling with Willis's Radar pricing and analytics technology, enabling companies across financial services, retail, automotive, and membership sectors to launch tailored insurance programs at scale across 30+ European markets.
- SynthetikcoreWillis and Synthetik extended their long-term partnership granting Willis access to Synthetik's complete Political Violence and Terrorism (PVT) software modelling suite including AnyBuildingRisk, Cityscape, and SRCC Quantum tools. The integration enables enhanced civil unrest analysis and more thorough evaluation of terrorism, political violence, strikes, riots, and civil commotion insurance implications for clients.
- WTW (Willis Towers Watson)coreWillis Re operates as a joint venture with WTW. The new Global Life Reinsurance Practice is a strategic collaboration with WTW's Insurance Consulting and Technology business, which provides actuarial expertise, advanced modelling, data-driven insights, and transaction experience to complement Willis Re's broking platform. The Willis Research Network also connects Willis Re/WTW with academic institutions for analytics.
- Willis Research Network (Academic Partners: NCAR, Imperial College London, University of Exeter, UCL, University of Newcastle)coreThe Willis Research Network is a long-standing academic partnership that concentrates specialist scientific knowledge (hurricane modelling, wildfire risk, climate science, parametric analytics) for the benefit of Willis Re and WTW clients. Key partners include Dr James Done (NCAR), Professor Ralph Toumi (Imperial College London Grantham Institute), Dr Megan Hart, Dr Cameron Rye, and Jessica Boyd. The Network is described as one of the world's longest-running academic-industry partnerships in insurance.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Willis Re competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BMS Group: Independent specialty (re)insurance broker with strong reinsurance capabilities, owned by CD&R. Competes with Willis Re in specialty treaty, casualty, and analytics-driven placements for mid-market and large cedants.
- Aon Reinsurance Solutions: One of the 'Big Three' global reinsurance brokers and the primary competitor to Guy Carpenter and Willis Re across treaty, facultative, and specialty placements. Comparable in offering a full advisory plus placement platform to life, P&C, and specialty insurers and reinsurers.
- Howden Re: Independent specialty reinsurance broker formed from the merger of Howden's reinsurance division with TigerRisk; recently taken public via Howden Group's IPO. Competes directly with Willis Re in specialty treaty, capital advisory, and analytics-led reinsurance placements.
- TigerRisk Partners: Independent reinsurance and capital advisory firm that merged with Howden in 2023; remains operationally distinct and competes with Willis Re on capital management, ILS advisory, and specialty placements.
- Lockton Re: Independent reinsurance broking arm of the world's largest privately held insurance broker. Competes with Willis Re across treaty, facultative, and specialty placements with a similar independent, conflict-free positioning.
- Guy Carpenter: The reinsurance broking arm of Marsh McLennan and the largest dedicated reinsurance broker globally. Willis Re has directly poached multiple senior brokers from Guy Carpenter and is a named defendant in a High Court action brought by the firm, evidencing direct head-to-head competition for talent and mandates.
Emerging players
- McGill and Partners: Independent specialty (re)insurance broker launched in 2019 with significant growth in reinsurance and capital advisory. Competes with Willis Re for talent and mandates in specialty and capital solutions, though at smaller scale.
Broad incumbents
- Munich Re: Global reinsurance carrier with NatCatSurance and other advisory offerings that overlap with Willis Re's analytics and risk advisory capabilities. A counterparty and competitor at the boundary between reinsurance carrier and broker-led advisory.
- WTW (Willis Towers Watson) Reinsurance: WTW operates its own broader reinsurance advisory and broking capabilities outside of the Willis Re JV. While Willis Re is part-owned by WTW, the two entities can overlap on reinsurance mandates, creating a parent-versus-platform dynamic that distinguishes WTW's wider portfolio from Willis Re's specialist focus.
- Swiss Re: One of the world's largest reinsurance carriers that also offers broker-adjacent advisory and analytics services. While not a pure broker, Swiss Re competes with Willis Re for client mindshare on placement strategy and risk analytics for cedants and buyers of capacity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Willis Re social profiles
Digital presenceWillis Re financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Willis Re leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Willis Re funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Willis Re M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Willis Re
What does Willis Re do?
Willis Re is a specialized global reinsurance broker that places treaty and facultative reinsurance, delivers independent advisory on capital management, balance sheet optimization, and risk transfer, and supports clients with advanced catastrophe, climate, and mortality/longevity analytics. It serves life insurers, reinsurers, pension and annuity providers, and corporate buyers across property, specialty, aviation, marine, energy, cyber, and political violence lines, accessing capacity through Lloyd's, Bermuda, and international markets.
Is Willis Re a public or private company?
Willis Re is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Willis Re founded?
Willis Re was founded in 2024. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Willis Re based?
Willis Re is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Willis Re make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Reinsurance Brokerage Commissions are the primary driver. The others are advisory and Consulting Fees and facultative and Treaty Reinsurance Broking.
Who are Willis Re's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BMS Group, Aon Reinsurance Solutions, Howden Re, TigerRisk Partners, Lockton Re and Guy Carpenter. McGill and Partners is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Munich Re, WTW (Willis Towers Watson) Reinsurance and Swiss Re.
Does Willis Re have an API?
No public API is recorded for Willis Re.
What industry is Willis Re in?
Willis Re's product category is Reinsurance Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAOAHAB, Facultative Reinsurance Brokerage, with a secondary code of FSAOAEAD, Casualty Treaty Reinsurance. Its NAICS code is 52421 and its SIC code is 6411.