Willis Towers Watson taps science & analytics director from World Bank

Broker Willis Towers Watson has appointed Matt Foote as a senior director of science & analytics in its Climate and Resilience Hub, based in London.

In this role, Foote will focus on integrating climate information and expertise into the risk management and decision-making systems of public and private sector financial institutions. This is in response to new regulatory and investor requirements such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and a new generation of stress tests and policies facing banks, re/insurers and asset managers.

Foote joins from the World Bank’s Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Programme, which supports governments to manage and finance their sovereign risks to major shocks. Previously, he held senior roles at Mitsui Sumitomo’s Lloyd’s Syndicate 3210 and Argo Group, modelling and managing their exposures to major risks and interacting with reinsurers, investors, regulators and credit rating agencies. Prior to that, he worked at catastrophe risk modelling firm RMS, where he led their work with regulators and clients during the implementation of the Solvency II reforms.

Foote was also one of the first catastrophe modellers at Willis Re in the late-1990s, working as a senior member of the Willis Re Catastrophe Management team. In 2006 he became the founding research director of the Willis Research Network and played a lead role in creating the widely respected award-winning global platform.

Rowan Douglas, head of the Climate and Resilience Hub at Willis Towers Watson said: “We are delighted to welcome Matt back to Willis Towers Watson. He brings a wealth of experience in taking science and analytics across a wide range of perils and integrating that into the DNA of financial institutions’ risk evaluation, management and disclosure within evolving regulatory frameworks across public and private sectors. This is at the heart of the climate, pandemic and wider resilience challenges we are helping our clients and market partners to solve.”

Foote added: “It is a pleasure to be back at Willis Towers Watson, contributing to the work of a world leading team, ensuring our clients are fully prepared to meet the evolving climate and wider risks communities and organisations face in the years and decades ahead.”