Willis Networks and Broker Direct’s OurNetwork Announce Strategic Alliance
London, UK, August 01, 2011 – Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), the global insurance broker, today announced
that Willis Networks, its alliance with regional, independent brokers in the UK, and Broker Direct Plc,
the insurance management and underwriting agency, through its commercial insurance solution OurNetwork, have entered into a
strategic alliance that will allow their respective members access to the services and facilities of the
other. The arrangement is effective immediately.
Willis will work with Broker Direct to offer Willis Networks members access to Broker Direct personal lines
and niche services, while the 280 members of OurNetwork will have the opportunity to tap into
exclusive services and commercial products offered by Willis N², the broker’s network for smaller independent brokers.
Currently, Broker Direct trades over £110m of personal lines products and the 111 members that make up
Willis Network place over £400m of commercial lines premium.
Terry Stanley, Broker Direct CEO said, “Since forming OurNetwork, we have continually looked at ways in which
to extend the offering to members. This arrangement gives us access to the impressive range of
tried and tested products and services which Willis Networks members have enjoyed for some time. It
is hard to think of a better way to give our brokers such an immediate competitive
advantage.”
Sara Fardon, Willis Networks Managing Director added, “Working together, our individual network strengths will be greatly enhanced,
and through this alliance we can offer all our members access to stronger business support and
exposure to a much wider product portfolio, which we plan to expand by jointly developing new
solutions.”
About Willis
Willis Group Holdings plc is a leading global insurance broker. Through its subsidiaries, Willis develops and delivers
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 17,000 employees serving clients in virtually every part of the
world. Additional information on Willis may be found at www.willis.com.
About Broker Direct
Established in 1997 Broker Direct Plc, is an insurance management and underwriting agency , offering product development,
distribution, underwriting analysis, premium administration, full claims handling facilities and sophisticated management information.
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