Willis Expands Chinese Operations

Willis Group Holdings will be strengthening its position in China by opening an office in Macau, dubbed the next “Las Vegas.” The new operation will cater to the region’s booming leisure and entertainment industry, which is thriving after a $12 billion injection into hotel and casino construction.

With an impressive GDP growth rate of 6.7 percent in 2005, Macau hosted over 18 million tourists last year, a 27 percent increase on 2003. The unprecedented growth in commerce resulted in a simultaneous increase in insurance needs, and Willis’ Macau office will be ideally positioned to service them.

Clients will have access to the group’s vast global resources through its unique Client Advocacy model, which provides, on-the-ground local service. The new office will be headed by Sandra Ho, former chief business officer at Macau’s third largest insurance company, Luen Fung Hang. Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, Ho was educated in the U.S.

Willis Asia managing director Roger Wilkinson said, “By opening an office in Macau we are being receptive to our clients’ needs in light of the fact that the city is becoming an economic hub … [Ho] has extensive local experience and in-depth knowledge of Macau’s employee benefits, property and casualty markets.”

Additional information on Willis may be found on its web site: www.willis.com.