Marsh McLennan has announced (6 September 2023) the appointments of Nick Harris as CEO, UK Retail, Marsh, and Ailsa King as Chief Commercial Officer, Marsh McLennan UK. Both will be based in London and report to Chris Lay, CEO, Marsh McLennan UK and CEO Marsh UK. Mr. Harris’s role is effective from 1 January, 2024, subject to regulatory approval; Ms. King’s appointment is effective immediately.
In his role, Mr. Harris will be responsible for Marsh’s UK Commercial, Corporate and Risk Management client segments and Advisory services, ensuring that UK clients have access to the wide range of services and solutions from across Marsh McLennan to meet their risk and insurance needs.
Mr. Harris will return to London from Australia, where he has been CEO of Marsh’s Pacific region – which includes its operations in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea – for the last four years. Mr. Harris brings more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry, having worked in senior roles across the UK and Australia. Prior to his appointment as CEO of Marsh Pacific, he was CEO of JLT Australia and New Zealand.
In her role, Ms. King will work closely with Mr. Lay to bring together the firm’s talent and expertise to enhance opportunities for collaboration that delivers greater client impact. Ms. King will lead a new Commercial leadership structure to drive the firm’s collaborative approach that will deliver enhanced innovations for clients.
Ms. King brings over 30 years’ experience in senior broking and risk advisory roles to the position and joined Marsh in 2017 as UK Chief Client Officer, leading the development of solutions that support clients in mitigating their key risk management challenges. Ms. King has also served as CEO of Marsh’s UK Risk Management client segment, which is focused on serving the needs of Marsh’s largest and most complex clients.
Commenting on the appointments, Mr. Lay said: “Ailsa and Nick are among the firm’s most experienced leaders and understand the importance of delivering services and solutions that help clients address risks at increasingly critical intersections in their organisations. Under their leadership, Marsh McLennan colleagues across the UK will be in an even stronger position to deliver greater client value.”
Mr. Harris added: “In a volatile and uncertain environment businesses are facing rapidly evolving and more complex risks, and building resilience to new and emerging risks is a leadership priority for UK organisations. I look forward to returning to the UK to work with our UK Retail colleagues around the country, and supporting our clients in the challenges and opportunities they face.”
Ms. King commented: “As the issues and risks our clients face have changed and grown in complexity, so our approach to serving our clients has evolved. Across Marsh McLennan we have great businesses, brands, talent and momentum. By bringing together the best of Marsh McLennan, we will find new ways to solve our clients’ challenges and find new opportunities. I look forward to supporting clients as they navigate their way through a new world of increasingly interconnected risks.”