Willis Re has appointed Jim Summers (pictured) as chief executive officer of global specialties, effective immediately, the London-based reinsurance broker announced.
Summers will lead the strategic direction across all specialty classes globally. He will also work with the senior leadership team to support the firm’s long-term expansion plans.
He joins from Guy Carpenter, where he most recently served as deputy CEO of global specialties and global head of marine and energy specialty. He had been with that firm since 2011.
Before Guy Carpenter, he was chief executive of Cooper Gay and Co Ltd from 2006. Summers has more than 40 years of experience across the Lloyd’s and international reinsurance broking markets.
Summers’ path to Willis Re ran through a notable legal dispute. In July 2025, Guy Carpenter filed suit in London’s High Court against Willis Re. The firm alleged that Willis Re ran a coordinated recruitment drive across three continents, with several senior departures said to have breached contractual and fiduciary obligations.
A High Court judgment in February 2026 found that Summers and former colleague John Fletcher improperly assisted Willis Re’s hiring push before both resigned from Guy Carpenter in mid-2025. The court identified unlawful means conspiracies that included sharing confidential compensation data during recruitment discussions.
The judge, however, rejected Guy Carpenter’s broader allegation of a systematic poaching scheme. He said the defendants’ conduct “went slightly further than was admitted by them at the trial, but not to the extent alleged by Guy Carpenter.”
Summers takes charge of a specialty unit that Willis Re has staffed largely through hires from his former employer. In December 2025, the broker brought in four Guy Carpenter professionals to its marine and energy specialty team: Jonno Bryan, Andrew Hitchings, Graham Devlin, and Nicola McIntosh.
Lucy Clarke, board member of Willis Re, said Summers had “an outstanding track record of building long-term client partnerships and high-performing businesses.” She added that he would play a key role in shaping the firm’s global business as it builds a “modern, client-focused reinsurance broking business.”
Summers said Willis Re has a clear vision supported by strong leadership and a collaborative culture.
“I look forward to working with colleagues across the organisation to strengthen our specialty capabilities and deliver exceptional support to clients operating in an increasingly complex global risk environment,” he said.
Willis Re is backed by co-founders Bain Capital and WTW. The firm combines private equity support with what it describes as modern technology.
