Executive Appointment - Pat Donnelly appointed as the new Head of Risk & Broking (R&B), North America, reporting to Lucy Clarke, President, R&B [1] - Donnelly brings extensive experience from leadership roles at Marsh, JLT, and Aon, including President, Specialty & Global Placement at Marsh and CEO of JLT Specialty in North America [1][2][3] Leadership Background - Donnelly joined Marsh as part of the acquisition of JLT and previously served as President, Marsh U.S. and Canada, overseeing insurance broking and risk advisory businesses across North America [2] - Earlier in his career, Donnelly was the Chief Broking Officer for U.S. Retail at Aon [3] Strategic Impact - Lucy Clarke highlights Donnelly's global reputation as a committed and inspirational leader, emphasizing his fit for driving growth and strengthening the specialist approach at WTW [3][4] - Donnelly's leadership is expected to enhance client service and value delivery, with his role based in Chicago and joining WTW in Q2 2025 [4] Company Overview - WTW provides data-driven, insight-led solutions in people, risk, and capital, leveraging global expertise across 140 countries to help organizations enhance resilience and performance [5] - The company focuses on uncovering opportunities for sustainable success through collaborative client partnerships [5]

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis, a WTW business, (NASDAQ:WTW), today announced the appointment of Pat Donnelly as the new Head of Risk & Broking (R&B), North America, reporting to Lucy Clarke, President, R&B. Donnelly, a highly respected and accomplished leader in the insurance and risk management industry, brings a wealth of experience having held various leadership roles at Marsh, JLT and Aon. Most recently, he has served as President, Specialty & Global Placement at Marsh. Donnelly joi ...

NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis, a WTW business (Nasdaq: WTW), is pleased to announce that its Investment Management Insurance (IMI) Plus product is now available to U.S. clients. Previously launched in July 2024 for clients in the UK and Canada, this unified management and professional policy addresses the specific needs of asset managers, providing integrated protection and streamlined management across key risk categories. IMI Plus grants critical coverages—cyber liability, employment ...

Disclosure and Author Information - The author has no stock, option, or derivative positions in any mentioned companies and no plans to initiate such positions within the next 72 hours [1] - The article reflects the author's personal opinions and is not influenced by compensation or business relationships with mentioned companies [1] - Seeking Alpha's analysts are third-party authors, including both professional and individual investors, who may not be licensed or certified by any regulatory body [2]

LONDON, Jan. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced the appointment of Hugo Wegbrans as Head of Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB) Europe and Simon Delchar as Global Head of Placement, both reporting to Lucy Clarke, President, Risk and Broking. Wegbrans joined WTW in 2021 as Head of Broking and has spearheaded the build and continued rollout of WTW’s Broking Platform worldwide, as well as managing the company’s global market re ...

Company Performance - Willis Towers Watson (WTW) shares have increased by 18.1% over the past six months, outperforming the industry growth of 9% and the S&P 500 index return of 6.8% [1][9] - The company has a solid surprise history, surpassing earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters with an average surprise of 7.34% [2] Growth Projections - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WTW's 2025 earnings per share and revenues indicates a year-over-year increase of 9.1% and 5.5%, respectively, compared to 2024 estimates [3] Valuation - WTW is currently trading at a price-to-earnings multiple of 16.7, which is lower than the industry average of 21, indicating it is undervalued [4] Growth Strategy - The company's growth strategy focuses on improving operating margins, increasing free cash flow conversion, and driving sustainable revenue growth, particularly in Risk and Broking and Individual Marketplace [5] Segment Performance - The Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking segments are performing well, supported by strong customer retention, new business growth, and geographic diversification [6] - WTW has experienced revenue growth in most operating regions for 15 consecutive quarters [6] Cash Flow and Shareholder Returns - WTW expects a year-over-year improvement in free cash flow margin in 2024, ensuring smooth cash flow [7] - The company has a five-year CAGR of 6.2% in dividends and plans to repurchase approximately $900 million in shares in 2024, subject to market conditions [10] Operational Challenges - Despite growth potential, WTW has faced rising expenses, including higher salary and incentive costs, which have led to margin contraction [11] - The trailing 12-month return on equity (ROE) of 18.5% is below the industry average of 31%, indicating inefficiency in using shareholders' funds [12]

Core Viewpoint - WTW is set to announce its financial results for Q4 and the full year of 2024 on February 4, 2025, before market opening [1] Financial Results Announcement - The financial results will be discussed in a conference call scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on February 4, 2025 [2] - A live broadcast of the conference call will be available on WTW's website, and an online replay will be accessible shortly after the call concludes [2] Company Overview - WTW provides data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk, and capital, serving 140 countries and markets [3] - The company aims to help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance resilience, motivate their workforce, and maximize performance [3] - WTW collaborates closely with clients to uncover opportunities for sustainable success [3]

Funded status of largest plans edged up to 100%, WTW analysis findsNEW YORK, Jan. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Despite strong U.S. equity market gains and rising long-term interest rates, the funded status of the nation’s largest corporate defined benefit (DB) pension plans improved only modestly in 2024, according to an analysis by WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company. WTW examined pension plan data for 361 Fortune 1000 companies that sponsor U.S. DB pension plans and ...

LONDON, Jan. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) (the “Company”), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, announced today the completion of the sale of TRANZACT to GTCR, a leading private equity firm, and Recognize, a leading digital services investor. “Completing the sale of TRANZACT is a meaningful milestone in sharpening our strategic focus on our core offerings,” said Carl Hess, WTW’s Chief Executive Officer. “This divestiture demonstrates our commitment to optimizing our po ...

Core Insights - Despite a tight labor market, U.S. companies are maintaining salary increase budgets at similar levels to the previous year, with a projected average increase of 3.7% for 2025 compared to 3.8% in 2024, both above the pre-pandemic norm of 3% [1][2] Salary Increase Trends - The average payroll increase for companies surveyed was 5.5% in 2024, indicating a healthy rate of salary increases by historical standards [2] - Companies planning to reduce salary budgets cite weaker financial results (36%) and cost management concerns (34%) as primary reasons, while those increasing budgets point to inflationary pressures (39%) and tight labor market concerns (31%) [3] Employee Retention and Attraction - A decrease in reported difficulties in attracting and retaining employees is noted, with only 36% of organizations facing challenges, down from 45% last year [4] - Organizations are focusing on improving workplace culture, with 54% emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and 53% enhancing the employee experience [6] Comprehensive Benefits Approach - Companies are encouraged to evaluate their benefits offerings beyond salary, including healthcare, retirement benefits, work flexibility, and meaningful contributions to workplace culture [5] Labor Market Dynamics - The U.S. labor market has stabilized, with a significant drop in demand for talent over the past three years, while supply remains unchanged, leading to vulnerabilities [7] - Employers considering lowering salary increases should be cautious, as competition for talent remains strong in certain industries, emphasizing the importance of retention strategies [7] Survey Methodology - The Salary Budget Planning Report was compiled from over 37,000 responses from companies in over 150 countries, with 2,002 organizations responding from the U.S. [8]