WTW raids rivals Aon & Marsh to expand natural resources business

Global broker  WTW (Willis Towers Watson) has made a major investment in expanding its North American natural resources team by hiring five key industry leaders from rivals Aon, Marsh and USI.

Based in Houston, the new team will bring expertise and a sub-sector focus on oil and gas, power generation, mining, and alternative energy - a globally important industry.

The new head of natural resources North America, Houston Corporate Risk & Broking (CRB), and managing director, will be Bill Helander, who joins  WTW from Marsh, where he served as the specialty leader for the natural resources sector. Helander joined Marsh as part of its acquisition of JLT in 2019 and has strong industry relationships and experience in this sector.

WTW has appointed Matt Gelotti as managing director and growth leader, natural resources, CRB North America. Gelotti was formerly business development leader within Aon’s Houston office.

Joining  WTW as managing director and head of client management, natural resources, CRB North America is Chris Mulvey. He formerly served as enterprise client leader for the natural resources space in Aon’s Houston office.

WTW has also hired Clayton Corbett as senior director and global client advocate, natural resources, CRB North America. He previously served as senior vice president and client executive with Marsh’s Specialty practice.

Lastly, William Hoke has joined  WTW as senior director and producer, natural resources, CRB North America. Also based in Houston with the broader team, Hoke joins  WTW from USI, where he served as a producer in natural resources.

Mike Liss, head of Corporate Risk & Broking, North America,  WTW, said: “This investment is aligned with our broader strategy to position  WTW as the best risk advisor and broker based on industry specialty and technical expertise. This expanded team demonstrates our long-term commitment to both the Houston market and the wider Natural Resources sector. We are excited to welcome each of them to our team in early August.”

WTW's current North American Natural Resources Leader, Keith Mattheessen, will serve as senior strategic advisor, global natural resources. He will support Helander through the onboarding and transition with the expanded team and will remain a key member of both the North American and Global Leadership teams.

Graham Knight, global head of natural resources,  WTW, said: “We are delighted to welcome this expanded team to  WTW team and excited to make this investment in our North American Natural Resources business. They are well-respected industry professionals whose experience and skillsets complement our existing talent pool across the Energy, Power, Mining and Alternative Energy sectors. Attracting experienced and market-leading talent underpins our growth objectives and enhances our industry insights across the globe.”

He added: “Keith’s leadership has been superb over the past few challenging years, and his support of the expanded team will drive momentum and build success.”

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