WillisWire Bloggers Reveal Their Top Emerging Risks for 2012

LONDON--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--The recent chronicle of game-changing risks that companies face operating in todayas volatile world are well-documented, from the Eurozone crisis and the Arab Spring, to natural catastrophes like the Japanese earthquake and Thai floods. Beyond these headline-grabbing events however, new risks are emerging that could blindside business executives, warns global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings (NYSE:WSH) in its new website of intellectual capital, [ WillisWire ].

"one of the most strategically important choke points for traded seaborne oil"

Looking ahead to major risks that may gain more popular consciousness in 2012, WillisWire is out today with a survey of a new set of thorny problems that may be keeping risk managers up at night, from fracking to cyber terrorism, space tourism and uncertainty around renewables caused by national energy policies. The bloggers on [ WillisWire ], which together represent many of the brokeras subject matter experts, have assembled their thoughts about the biggest emerging risks facing their industries and services.

In the special feature a" entitled [ aWhat New Risks Will Emerge in 2012?a ]a" WillisWire, which has received on average nearly 9,000 page views a month since its launch in September 2011, lays out 18 emerging risks facing industries as diverse as Energy, Banking, Captives and Power & Utilities. The blog also [ polls ] readers asking them to identify which of the risks listed they think will have the greatest impact in 2012.

The WillisWire Emerging Risks Round-up includes:

Some of the risks identified by Willisa subject matter bloggers might not yet be front-and-center on companiesa radars, like the aperfect storm of cross-border cooperation between regulatorsa brewing outside boardrooms globally. Other exposures, like the risks associated with hydraulic fracking for natural gas, have been growing in significance lately, with several lawsuits (but no big claims as of yet) making insurance hard to find.

The WillisWire list also includes some new twists to well-known risks like Supply Chain disruption, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in todayas globalized market, with industries like Mining and Energy bearing the brunt. Willisa Trade Credit blogger Andrew Van Den Born, an Executive Director of the brokeras Financial Solutions division, warns, for example, that Iran's threat to close the Straits of Hormuz, aone of the most strategically important choke points for traded seaborne oila, could trigger a supply chain meltdown in the oil and gas industry.

Looking into the not-so-distant future, WillisWireas Financial Services Practice Leader and blogger, Richard Magrann-Wells predicts that aBradley Manning 2.0 - a abright programmer with an Ivy League education and an access card working at a technology, bank or credit card companya is a new threat that financial institutions should work to protect themselves against.

Over 27 bloggers from across Willis Group regularly post their thoughts on WillisWire about the insurance implications of significant industry-specific events, giving readers real-time information and insight into all the risks facing their business. This year, WillisWire will be running a series of special features, topical video interviews and commentary on breaking news.

About Willis

Willis Group Holdings plc is a leading global insurance broker. Through its subsidiaries, Willis develops and delivers professional insurance, reinsurance, risk management, financial and human resource consulting and actuarial services to corporations, public entities and institutions around the world. Willis has more than 400 offices in nearly 120 countries, with a global team of approximately 17,000 employees serving clients in virtually every part of the world. Additional information on Willis may be found at [ www.willis.com ].

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WillisWire Bloggers Reveal Their Top Emerging Risks for 2012