Willis

London, January 28, 2009 - Willis Re, the re-insurance arm of global broker Willis Group Holdings (NYSE:WSH), today announced the appointment of 17 professionals to extend the global growth of the unit's specialty lines business. The brokers, currently with specialty reinsurance broker Carvill, will join Willis Re starting next week as each individual discharges their current obligations with Carvill. The new associates will be based out of Willis Re's US and UK offices.

Among those joining Willis Re are John Cavanagh, David Thomas and Andrew Newman. Cavanagh and Thomas, joint CEOs of Carvill Group, have 34 and 29 years of experience, respectively, in reinsurance broking across diverse classes of specialty business. Newman, a Director of Carvill London, Ltd., brings 27 years of experience to Willis with a particular acumen in the casualty segment.

Commenting on the appointments, Joe Plumeri, Chairman and CEO of Willis, said: "The addition of this outstanding group of reinsurance professionals bolsters our specialty capabilities and gives us new growth opportunities in all of our major market segments. With the ongoing evolution in the capital markets, there is a heightened need for expert advisory and execution skills in specialty reinsurance, and our new colleagues - with their extensive experience and knowledge of the marketplace - complement our position in this important area. We are delighted to welcome John, David, Andrew and the rest of the team to Willis."

Peter Hearn, Chief Executive Officer of Willis Re, said: "These are some of the most talented and experienced people in our industry, and the capabilities and business relationships they bring to Willis Re will prove to be a major asset in our drive to capitalize on the opportunities ahead in this business class. Our specialty practices continue to evolve as a world-class business line for Willis Re and they underline our continuing efforts to be the world's leading reinsurance intermediary."

Willis Group Holdings Limited is a leading global insurance broker, developing and delivering professional insurance, reinsurance, risk management, financial and human resource consulting and actuarial services to corporations, public entities and institutions around the world. Willis has more than 400 offices in nearly 120 countries, with a global team of approximately 20,000 Associates serving clients in some 190 countries. Additional information on Willis may be found at www.willis.com.