People Moves: Willis Launches Dedicated Residential Real Estate Team, Led by Palmer and Grainger; Aspen Promotes Welch to Group Chief Underwriting Officer

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Willis and Aspen Insurance Holdings.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Willis Launches Residential Real Estate Team, Led by Palmer, Grainger

Willis, a WTW business, announced the launch of a dedicated Residential Real Estate Team, to expand the capabilities of its Real Estate division.

The team aims to provide a fresh benchmark in residential risk expertise, across key residential niches including build-to-rent (BTR), student accommodation, ground rent investment, managing agents, retirement living, property investment and right-to-manage business.

The team is led by Naomi Palmer, divisional director, Real Estate Practice, and Shaun Grainger, residential development director, Real Estate Practice. Palmer brings over 12 years of experience in the real estate insurance industry, specializing in managing large residential accounts and driving operational excellence. Grainger has joined Willis with two decades of experience in sales, specializing in real estate clients and advisers.

The proposition is further enhanced by the appointment of Mike Marrill, as a dedicated claims executive, whose focused expertise ensures the seamless handling of property claims, adding a robust layer of operational assurance and reinforcing Willis’ commitment to end-to-end client service.

“We’re continuously looking to evolve and improve how we deliver services to clients and through launching this newly dedicated team, we seek to elevate the standard of residential insurance,” commented Paul Turnbull, managing director, Real Estate Practice, at Willis.

“Collectively, the team brings a deep understanding of the residential landscape, as well as operational and claims excellence, which will be resolute to achieving our goals and providing commitment to our clients,” he added.

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Aspen Promotes Welch to Group Chief Underwriting Officer

Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd., the Bermuda-based specialty re/insurer, has appointed John Welch as group chief underwriting officer.

Welch brings over 30 years of experience in executive roles across global players including at AXA XL and XL Catlin Group, and originally joined Aspen as chief underwriting officer, Reinsurance, in June 2023.

In his new role, which is effective from August 1, 2025, Welch will report to group president and CEO, Aspen Bermuda, Christian Dunleavy, and will be responsible for the oversight, development and execution of Aspen’s underwriting strategy across the group.

Topics Underwriting