Willis continues to build-out WCMA’s reinsurance capital markets team

Global insurance and reinsurance broker Willis Group continues to build-out and strengthen its capital markets, insurance-linked securities (ILS) and investment banking unit Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA) with new hires.

The latest hire to be announced is the appointment of Rafal Walkiewicz as Managing Director of Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA). Walkiewicz joins WCMA from Goldman Sachs and will be based in New York following the end of his notice period in August.

Willis expects Walkiewicz to play a key role in the ongoing development of WCMA’s capital raising and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) business. He will report directly to Tony Ursano, CEO of WCMA.

Walkiewicz has spent the past 10 years in Goldman Sachs Financial Institutions Group, focusing on the insurance space. Before that he was President and CEO of BMT Financial Services, a Polish SEC registered stockbroker, asset manager and investment banking boutique.

Walkiewicz has been involved in the execution of over $50 billion of M&A and financing transactions, largely in the insurance space. Deals worked on include the $2.3 billion sale of insurance broker USI from Goldman Sachs’ private equity fund to Onex, the $865 million sale of Ally’s Mexican P&C insurance business ABA Seguros to ACE, the $16.2 billion sale of Alico to MetLife, ACE’s $2.4 billion acquisition of Aon’s Combined Insurance, and GE’s $9.1 billion sale of its reinsurance unit to Swiss Re.

Ursano commented on the new hire; “Rafal’s appointment deepens and broadens WCMA’s already formidable pool of expertise. He brings with him an outstanding selection of strategic industry relationships, in-depth knowledge of the insurance market and extensive experience of executing high profile transactions. I have confidence that he will make a significant contribution to our team assisting us in continuing to build a world-class insurance investment banking platform.”