Willis Towers Watson

Willis is a “leading global insurance broker, which has had a significant presence in Suffolk for 40 years - based in an iconic Grade I listed black glass building in the centre of Ipswich.
The company relocated to Ipswich in the 1970s because it was less expensive than London creating a centre of excellence for financial services and insurance companies. Being in Ipswich allows Willis to take advantage of the high quality talent pool available in Suffolk, while still being close to the insurance capital of the world.

Having recently expanded to meet the demands of its growing business the company now employs 1,200 Associates in Ipswich with a further 100 people supporting the running of the Ipswich operation in functions such as IT, catering and security. Globally Willis has a network of offices in 90 countries and operates in over 130, with a global team of approximately 17,000 people serving clients throughout the world.

Mark Parker, Managing Director of Global Service Centres in Ipswich and Mumbai, has worked for Willis for 29 years in various operational roles and returned to his native Suffolk to take up his dream job in April 2011. He said:
“Despite the less than optimistic growth forecasts for the world economy in 2013, with operations in every part of the world, Willis is ideally placed to take advantage of growth opportunities wherever they exist. At the end of the day, whatever the economic climate, business will always need insurance protection and we are in the business of offering what we like to call “resilience” to our clients in an increasingly risky world. Insurance is the DNA of capitalism and our bespoke client solutions provide the bedrock that allows companies around the world to invest, innovate, create jobs and think long term. Our global platform helps with managing the economic ups and downs across different countries and regions. We are the first and biggest insurance broker in China and also have businesses in all main regions of the world including North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America”.