Willis Re has announced Richard Jones (pictured) will be joining the company, effective October 2026, subject to all regulatory approvals.
Based in Singapore, Jones will lead the build-out of Willis Re's Singapore operations, playing a pivotal role in establishing the company's presence in the city-state. He will also be responsible for driving the delivery of the firm's strategic objectives across Asia, at a time when the region is viewed as a key growth engine for global reinsurance.
Asia-Pacific continues to attract broker and carrier investment as insurance penetration rises, major infrastructure projects develop and catastrophe exposures increase. Singapore has positioned itself as a regional hub for underwriting, broking and analytics, supported by a mature regulatory framework and access to cedants across South-East Asia and beyond.
With nearly four decades of experience in the international reinsurance broking sector and a range of senior leadership roles with a strong focus on the Asia market, Jones is widely regarded as one of the most seasoned and respected practitioners in the region.
Over the course of his career, he has developed extensive expertise in structuring complex risk solutions, built long-standing client relationships and played a key role in shaping strategic initiatives across multiple markets. His background spans treaty and facultative business, property-catastrophe, casualty and specialty lines, and he has been closely involved in helping clients respond to issues such as natural catastrophe volatility, changing regulatory expectations and a widening protection gap.
Jones joins Willis Re from Gallagher Re, where he was most recently chairman of APAC. Prior to this, he was CEO of Asia Reinsurance Solutions at Aon. Before joining Aon, he spent more than 30 years at Guy Carpenter, holding positions including CEO, Singapore and chairman of Asia-Pacific.
"I am excited to be joining Willis Re at such a pivotal point. The opportunity to help shape and deliver on the company's ambitions in Asia is incredibly compelling," said Jones. "I look forward to working with colleagues across the region to establish a strong and distinctive platform, deepen client relationships, and contribute to building a business that delivers sustainable, long-term impact."
The timing of the appointment comes against a backdrop of continued disciplined conditions in many global reinsurance classes, combined with growing demand from Asian cedants for tailored capacity, multi-territory programmes and support on capital and risk management. As climate-related events, urbanisation and supply chain exposures evolve, buyers across Asia are increasingly looking to brokers for more sophisticated structuring, data and advisory capabilities.
By basing its Asia leadership in Singapore, Willis Re is following a broader trend among global brokers using the city-state as a gateway to regional markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the wider North and South Asia hubs. Jones’s remit is expected to include developing a platform that can connect local clients to global markets, while working with regional and international reinsurers on deploying capacity effectively across portfolios.
The development of Willis Re’s Singapore operation under Jones’s leadership is likely to increase choice in the market for placement, analytics and advisory support, particularly for insurers looking to navigate capacity, pricing and retentions in a more volatile risk environment. It also signals that global intermediaries continue to see long-term opportunity in Asia’s reinsurance sector despite near-term macroeconomic and catastrophe-loss headwinds.
