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NEW YORK--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Willis North America, a unit of Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), the global insurance broker, today announced the appointment of Sean McGroarty as National Surety Leader, Willis North America Construction Practice.

"We are very pleased to have Sean on the Willis team. Seanas appointment demonstrates Willisa continued commitment to strengthening our National Construction Practice and investing in resources across our North America network to provide an industry leading surety team to serve our clientsa critical bonding needs."

In this role, Mr. McGroarty will be responsible for directing Surety operations across the North American platform. He will lead a team of over 160 surety professionals, working closely with regional teams to drive growth and align resources, allowing Willis to continue to be a leading broker of contract and commercial surety for all industries. In addition, he will also focus on product innovation and carrier management to ensure Willisa clients receive the best surety solutions possible. He will report to Rick Hawkinberry, CEO, Willis North America Construction Practice.

Willis is a leading provider of insurance, surety and risk management services to the construction industry and has made a deep commitment to this industry in North America. The construction practice is comprised of over 700 dedicated professionals in over 70 offices, serving roughly 12,000 clients in North America, including contractors, owners, construction professionals and design firms. Globally, Willisa Surety Practice serves clients in over 80 countries and we believe this segment of our business is poised for growth in the next few years due to current global construction market trends.In addition to his North America focus, Mr. McGroarty will work closely with John Phinney, Willis North America International Surety Lead, to expand our global surety capabilities.

Commenting on this appointment, Mr. Hawkinberry said, aWe are very pleased to have Sean on the Willis team. Seanas appointment demonstrates Willisa continued commitment to strengthening our National Construction Practice and investing in resources across our North America network to provide an industry leading surety team to serve our clientsa critical bonding needs.a

Paul Becker, Chairman of the Willis North America Construction Practice noted, aSeanas experience, relationships and leadership with our carrier partners and directly with clients, will benefit all of our customers particularly as surety needs continue to evolve and new ideas will be needed to address these going forward. We are excited to have Sean lead the team and help shape the future of our surety practice.a

Prior to joining Willis, Mr. McGroarty served as Senior Vice President and Head of International Surety with Zurich Financial Services. He has more than 20 years experience in the surety industry, which also includes leadership roles at Liberty Mutual Group and St. Paul Companies. He is based in New York.

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 ].