Willis Re hires Neil Eckert as CEO

Willis Re, the reinsurance advisory and brokerage firm, has appointed reinsurance and capital markets veteran Neil Eckert as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Eckert joins Willis Re from Bermuda-based reinsurer Conduit Re, which he co-founded in 2020. He initially served as Executive Chairman of Conduit Re before becoming its CEO in 2025.

Eckert will take up his position at Willis Re after completing his existing contractual commitments.

As CEO, Eckert will oversee Willis Re’s global broking and advisory strategy, working with the company’s wider leadership team to support the firm’s growth across its platforms.

With around 40 years of expertise spanning reinsurance, insurance, and capital markets, Eckert brings a wealth of experience to his new role. Throughout his career, Eckert has held roles spanning broking, risk transfer, underwriting and the provision of capital to the insurance sector.

Eckert began his career as a reinsurance broker in 1986, when he joined Benfield Group plc. He became a member of the company’s board in 1988.

In 1995, he founded Benfield & Rea Investment Trust, a listed investment vehicle designed to raise capital for underwriting capacity at Lloyd’s and insurance companies.

The investment trust was relaunched as Brit Insurance Holdings plc in 1999, where Eckert served as founding CEO until 2005, and then continued to serve as a non-executive director until 2008.

In 2005, Eckert co-founded Climate Exchange plc, a platform specialising in carbon-emissions trading, where he served as its CEO until the company was sold in 2010.

Eckert has also founded or chaired a series of businesses operating in the environmental and climate risk space, including Trading Emissions plc and Econergy plc. He also serves as Chairman of IncubEx, a Chicago-based environmental derivatives platform.

Eckert’s more recent activities in the industry have included the creation of Conduit Holdings Limited, where he was involved in raising $1 billion through its initial public offering, which Willis Re said was, at the time, the largest IPO of a start-up on the London Stock Exchange.

Lucy Clarke, Board Member of Willis Re, commented: “It is such a privilege to have Neil joining as CEO of Willis Re. He is one of the most experienced, entrepreneurial, driven and technologically astute people in our industry.

“His career is grounded in the reinsurance industry, but also spans insurance broking, capital, technology and climate ventures, as well as founding and scaling businesses across public markets and private ventures. That breadth of perspective is exactly what our clients and trading partners need as the market continues to evolve. Neil has built and led businesses across the full reinsurance value chain, and I know his leadership will sharpen our proposition and accelerate our growth ambitions.”

Eckert said: “I am delighted to be joining Willis Re at such an important moment for the business. Having spent my career on both the broking and capital sides of this industry, I understand what clients and markets need from a broker: technical excellence, capital insight, and the imagination to apply technology to genuinely improve outcomes. I look forward to working with the team to build on Willis Re’s momentum and to deliver for our clients, colleagues and shareholders.”