industry insurance broker founded 1828 1828 london headquarters london united kingdom key people dominic casserley ceo products insurance risk management human resource consulting revenue 3.8 billion 2014 operating income 647 million 2014 net income 362 million 2014 number of employees 18 000 parent willis towers watson website willis.com willis group holdings plc is a multinational risk advisor insurance brokerage and reinsurance brokerage company with its headquarters in the willis building in london . it is the world s fourth largest insurance broker when measured by revenues . 1 willis has around 400 offices in 120 countries and approximately 18 000 employees . 2 willis was previously listed on the new york stock exchange before its early 2016 merger of equals with towers watson . after the deal closed the combined company began trading on the nasdaq exchange under the symbol wltw nasdaq wltw . 3 the willis group is not related to willis lease finance corporation of novato california nasdaq wlfc contents 1 history 2 merger 3 buildings 4 operations 5 sponsorship 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit the willis building in london the company was founded by henry willis in london in 1828 and initially operated as henry willis & co. 4 in 1898 it merged with faber brothers founded in 1886 to form willis faber 4 and then in 1928 it merged with dumas & wylie founded in 1843 to create willis faber & dumas . 4 it was first listed on the london stock exchange in 1976 as willis faber . 4 it expanded into the united states in 1990 when it merged with corroon & black founded as r. a. corroon & co. in 1905 to form the willis corroon group . 4 in 1998 in a leveraged buyout the company was acquired by trinity acquisition on behalf of kohlberg kravis roberts 4 and in 1999 the name willis group was adopted . 4 it was first listed on the new york stock exchange in 2001 . 4 in october 2008 willis acquired hilb rogal & hobbs co. hrh one of the largest insurance and risk management intermediaries in north america and this has boosted their north american presence as well as acquired glencairn limited which has augmented its lloyd s of london market strength . 5 willis announced plans in 2009 to relocate its registered office from bermuda to ireland . 6 its shareholders approved the move in december 2009 and the company announced on 31 december 2009 that its reorganisation has been completed and the new parent company of the willis group known as willis group holdings public limited company is incorporated in ireland . 7 8 merger edit main article willis towers watson on june 30 2015 willis group announced it would merge with towers watson to create willis towers watson . the combined company operates in 120 countries with a workforce of approximately 39 000 employees revenues of 8.2 billion 9 and a value of 18 billion . 10 the merger was concluded on 5 january 2016 after all regulatory approvals were received . 11 buildings edit the willis tower in chicago willis moved into the willis building its new london headquarters in may 2008 . 12 the willis building in ipswich england is one of the earliest buildings designed by norman foster after establishing foster associates . constructed between 1970 and 1975 it is now seen as a landmark in the development of the high tech architectural style . it is one of the youngest buildings to be given grade i listed building status in britain . 13 the 108 story sears tower in chicago was renamed the willis tower in july 2009 . willis secured the naming rights as part of its agreement to lease 140 000 square feet 13 000 m2 of space in the 3 800 000 square foot 350 000 m2 tower . 14 it was the world s tallest building from 1974 until 1998 when it was surpassed by the petronas towers in kuala lumpur malaysia . 15 operations edit willis has 400 offices in more than 100 countries . 16 sponsorship edit willis group is sponsor of the willis resilience expedition a scientific program in antarctica to better understand our changing climate and build resilience to weather related risk . 17 see also edit london portal companies portal marsh & mclennan companies references edit top global insurance brokers . retrieved 13 july 2015 . willis group holdings fact book . willis group holdings . retrieved 21 august 2010 . tan gillian 9 dec 2015 . towers watson s odd choice of words . bloomberggadfly . retrieved 7 may 2016 . a b c d e f g h willis history insurance broker willis to buy hrh business week june 2008 willis proposes change in place of incorporation to ireland press release willis investor relations 31 december 2009 willis group holders agree to move co. to ireland associated press 11 december 2009 . retrieved 17 december 2009 willis group and towers watson announce merger to create leading global advisory broking and solutions firm 30 june 2015 . willis and towers watson to merge in 18b deal . cnbc . retrieved 30 august 2010 . comtois james 2015 07 13 . towers watson willis merger to combine strengths . pensions & investments . crain communications inc. retrieved 2015 09 07 . crunch and the willis building is sold world architecture news 13 may 2008 pioneering management guidelines for modern listed buildings . context . september 1995 . willis tower becomes official sears tower renamed huffington post 17 july 2009 fodor s chicago 2010 p. 125 stephanie butler kelly kealy alexis kelly random house inc. 2009 isbn 1 4000 0860 3 . retrieved 17 december 2009 willis the willis way five minutes with ... teen polar explorer parker liautaud travel bite 30 september 2013 external links edit official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title willis group & oldid 735396495 categories companies formerly listed on the new york stock exchangecompanies established in 1828companies based in londoninsurance companies of the united kingdomhidden categories use british english from september 2012use dmy dates from september 2012 navigation 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