Willis Towers Watson appoints Tim Unger and Michael Brown
Amid a spate of top-level regional appointments, Willis Towers Watson has named decade-plus company members Tim Unger as head of sustainable investment in Australia, and Michael Brown as New Zealand country head.
First joining the global professional services firm in 2001, Tim Unger is a senior director of investments and integral member of Willis Towers Watson’s Australian leadership team, having held roles as head of advisory portfolio management and strategy research.
Unger is also a member of Willis Towers Watson’s future investment think-tank the Thinking Ahead Group, and is an advocate for incorporating ESG principles into investment strategies and frameworks.
“Tim’s experience and insights have driven exceptional portfolio strategies for our clients,” said Australia Investments head Aongus O’Gorman. “Too often we have seen sustainable investment marginalised. Tim’s appointment is a signal that sustainable investment sits at the centre of our advice, because portfolio strategy is the point at which policy meets implementation.”
Unger said that his ambition was to marshal Willis Towers Watson’s considerable resources in the area of sustainable investment, and drive progress in measuring impact. “We want our actions and advice to result in significant reductions in carbon emissions in the real economy. This means that we need to be able to measure the impact of the advice that we provide and the changes that our clients make to their portfolios.”
Meanwhile, across the ditch, Michael Brown has recently been named as country head for New Zealand, after having performed the role on an interim basis since May. To be based out of Auckland and reporting to Willis Towers Watson’s Australian head Simon Weaver, Brown has over his fifteen years at the firm served in a variety of insurance broking roles, including as the division’s national manger.
Weaver said that Brown had done a “superb job” of leading the New Zealand business since taking over in May. “Michael’s extensive relationships and knowledge of the local market contributes greatly to how we add value for our clients and assist them with the very best solutions in risk management and mitigation, the right insurance programmes, and the support they need in the event of a claim.”
The two appointments come amid a wave of top-level handovers for Willis Towers Watson in the Asia Pacific and at the global level. In recent weeks, Clare Muhiudeen has taken over as Head of Asia, while Ted Hodgkinson was appointed Head of Hong Kong. The firm will also welcome Carl Hess as its new CEO from the beginning of next year, along with a refreshed global leadership team.
