Willis North America, which is a unit of Willis Group Holdings (WSH), a leading provider of insurance and reinsurance, announced the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer, Sharon Edwards. Ms. Edwards, who has served as Chief Administrative Office at Willis North America, will be reporting to Michael Neborak, the Chief Financial Officer, Willis Group.
In the role of Chief Financial Officer, Sharon Edwards will be responsible for every aspect of Willis North America’s finance functions, which include transactional accounting, financial planning and analysis, reporting, and the financial operations of each region in North America.
Sharon Edwards joined Willis in 1991 and has extensive expertise in both financial and operational areas. Commenting on her appointment, Vic Krauze, Chairman and CEO, Willis North America said “Sharon is a valuable member of our leadership team and brings deep skills to this role. She played a key role following Willis’ acquisition of Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs in 2008, where she led the integration of Willis North America’s financial and accounting operations. With her help, Willis North America will continue to grow and further build its strong financial structure.”
In 2009, Ms. Edwards was appointed as Chief Administrative Officer of Willis North America, where she was responsible for Sales Operatoins, Field Operations, and Financial Process Improvement. Before that, she served in a wide range of leadership roles which included Director of Financial Operation, North American Controller, and Regional Finance Officer for Willis Midwest Region.
Commenting on Sharon Edward’s appointment, Michael Neborak said, “Sharon has an outstanding track record and her combined talents of financial and operational expertise have been a great asset. I’m confident she will build on that success.”
Sharon Edwards has also served on the Willis Partners Council and the Willis North America Board of Directors. She received a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Tennessee and is a Certifies Public Accountant. She is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Willis North America is the North American retail brokerage company of Willis Group Holdings. The unit doubled in size with its 2008 acquisition of Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs (HRH) and currently has 200+ local offices and 6,000 employees in the US, Mexico, and Canada. Wills North provides a wide range of insurance and risk management services, specialist expertise and global resources to large corporations, middle market, and small business clientele.
About Willis Group Holdings
Willis Group Holdings works with its subsidiaries to offer a wide range of insurance and reinsurance broking, and risk management consulting services to clients in various industries, which include aerospace, marine, construction, and energy. It operates as an intermediary between its clients and insurance carries by advising its clients on their requirements for risk management. The company also assists its clients in the assessment of their risks, advises on the ways of transferring suitable risk to the global insurance and reinsurance markets, and then execute the transactions at the appropriate available price, terms, and conditions for its clients. The company, which was formerly known as Willis Group Holdings Limited, changed its name to Willis Group Holdings Public Limited Company in January of 2010. The company was founded in 1828 and is based in London, United Kingdom.
