Willis hires Miller exec

Willis has appointed Simon Weaver as chief executive officer (CEO) of its Singapore office and to the newly-created role of regional CEO for South East Asia.

Weaver joins from Miller, where he has spent two years as head of Asia, and was responsible for business development strategy and operational management.

He will lead the Singapore office, and Willis’s offices and operations in South East Asia will also report to him. This includes businesses in Malaysia, Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand, but will also include any future geographical expansion in the region. He will report to Adam Garrard, Willis Asia CEO.

Weaver succeeds Matthew Hooker, who will leave his role as CEO of Singapore on September 1, 2015, to focus solely on his new role as Asia leader for natural resources.

Garrard said: “Simon has a lot of invaluable experience at running successful businesses across Asia. He is a perfect fit to lead our Singapore office, which is a vital hub of expertise for Willis, and also to drive our growth strategy across south-east Asia. The regional role is a new position that reflects our commitment to these markets and to their high growth prospects.”

Weaver added: “I am very excited to join Willis and work with our high calibre teams in Singapore and across south-east Asia, delivering market-leading broking and advocacy to our clients. The huge breadth and depth of expertise within Willis leaves us well placed to further grow in this dynamic region, providing specialist products and services aligned to specific industry segments.”

Alistair Rivers, global leader of Willis’s natural resources industry group, said: “Given the strategic importance of our industry strategy to Willis and, in particular, the significance of Asia to our natural resources industry group, I am thrilled that Matthew has agreed to be its leader. There is huge potential in the power, utilities, energy and mining sectors and Matthew is the ideal candidate to lead our growth strategy.”