WTW hires Besso Grimme’s top team for German aviation launch

WTW has confirmed the launch of a new aviation business in Germany after hiring Christian Grimme from Ardonagh Group’s Besso Grimme Insurance Brokers to head up the operation.

Grimme, who was managing director at aviation specialist broker Besso Grimme, will be joined by its two executive directors, Jan Schulze and Ralf Blechschmidt.

Both will take on executive director roles at WTW.

All three have yet to complete their notice periods at Besso Grimme, which has access to Lloyd’s through its sister company Besso Insurance Group. But WTW said the first member of the new aviation Germany team started on 2 September.

John Rooley, CEO of global aviation and space at WTW, said the German aviation market is “an essential part” of the broker’s growth strategy.

“The formation of a dedicated aviation team in the region will enable us to build out our German proposition for the aviation sector,” Rooley said. “Grimme has extensive aviation experience across Europe. I am delighted that today’s announcement reinforces the investment in the breadth of talent that we are continuing to build in the aviation sector.”

Earlier in the summer, WTW said it expanded its trade credit management division in Germany with the hire of four senior specialists for the DACH region to strengthen its trade credit offering.

Reiner Schwinger, head of WTW Central Europe, said: “Our latest steps underline our strategy of investing sustainably in Germany. This is the only way we can offer our clients, from SMEs to large corporations, the combination of expertise, talent and technology they need to be successful in the long term in an increasingly complex risk landscape.”