Insurance company Willis Towers Watson has appointed Jamie Jeffers as divisional director, financial solutions, based in Sydney.

This is a newly-created role, which will see Jeffers report to Stuart Ashworth, managing director for financial solutions in Asia Pacific, based in Singapore.

He joins from Westpac, where he spent 10 years, most recently as head of insurance relationships for financial institutions.

Ashworth says: “Global commercial, technological and regulatory changes continue to influence the way in which clients evaluate, measure and manage risk. The financial solutions team within Willis Towers Watson has been partnering and advising clients in risk and capital management for over 30 years. We are delighted to welcome Jamie into the team to further expand that knowledge and offering into the Australian market.”

He adds that Jeffers has “significant experience working with Australian lenders” and that he will be providing insurance solutions to international and domestic clients among Australia’s banking sector.

Financial institutions chairman at the firm, Paul Davidson, says that Jeffers’ appointment is part of a wider strategy of expansion in Asia Pacific.

“We have made a significant investment over a number of years in establishing a highly skilled and experienced team in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney in order to provide fast, knowledgeable and efficient expertise to our financial institution client base and prompt access to the expanding worldwide underwriting community,” he says.