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Willis Re appoints Neil Eckert as its new CEO
Eckert joins from Conduit Re, which he co-founded in 2020, and is expected to lead Willis Re’s global broking and advisory strategy after completing contractual commitments.
Willis Re, a specialist in reinsurance broking and advisory services, has appointed Neil Eckert as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The company said Eckert will oversee Willis Re’s global broking and advisory strategy while working with the wider leadership team to support growth across its platforms. According to Reinsurance News, Eckert brings about 40 years of experience across reinsurance, insurance, and capital markets, with roles spanning broking, risk transfer, underwriting, and providing capital to the insurance sector. His background includes senior positions on both intermediary and underwriting sides of the market. Eckert joins from Conduit Re, a Bermuda-based reinsurer he co-founded in 2020. He served as Executive Chairman before becoming CEO in 2025, and Willis Re said he will take up the position after completing his existing contractual commitments. The appointment follows a career that began in 1986 when he joined Benfield Group plc, later establishing Benfield & Rea Investment Trust in 1995 to provide capital for underwriting capacity at Lloyd’s and insurance companies. The investment trust was later relaunched as Brit Insurance Holdings plc in 1999, and Eckert previously served as founding CEO until 2005, later continuing as a non-executive director until 2008, before expanding into environmental and climate-related markets.