Willis appoints Paul Haas as Senior Director, Business Development. Willis, a WTW business, has announced the appointment of Paul Haas as Senior Director, Business Development, based in Chicago. Having joined Willis on August 10, Haas has been tasked with leading new business development across the Midwest, with a focus on growing the company's presence in financial institutions risk at the intersection of banking and digital assets. He will also help further develop Willis' expertise, talent and tools in these areas. The executive brings 15 years of insurance industry experience, having most recently served as Vice President at Marsh, where he advised banking and finance clients on business insurance and risk management strategies. Earlier in his career, Haas spent several years at Lockton assisting clients with complex and emerging exposures across the financial institutions sector, including risks related to digital assets. Ryan Pischke, Managing Director and Regional Growth Leader for the Midwest at Willis, commented: "Reinsurance Group is excited to welcome Paul to Willis at a time when financial institutions are navigating significant change, particularly as banking and digital assets continue to converge. "Paul has been working in this space for years, bringing valuable experience and perspective to an increasingly complex market. His expertise will help us continue to build our capabilities and deliver solutions that address the evolving needs of our clients."

WTW sues Lockton over broker exodus. Richard Sine August 26, 2026 Eighteen employees from Willis Towers Watson's construction insurance team resigned within 44 minutes of each other last Wednesday, all headed to rival broker Lockton, in what a new lawsuit calls a "smash and grab". Within 48... Want to read this article? ULTIMATE ACCESS PROVIDES YOU WITH * Unrestricted access to Commercial Risk, Commercial Risk Europe and Global Risk Manager news, exclusive expert analysis and opinion * Breaking news, daily and/or weekly Commercial Risk Europe newsletters and regular digital publications * Breaking news, weekly and monthly Global Risk Manager newsletters and quarterly digital Journal * European and global surveys, rankings and special reports * National European local language newsletters * Preferential access to webinars and virtual and physical conferences If you are already a registered user or subscriber you can LOGIN below for ultimate access:

WTW sues Lockton after 18 construction insurance brokers jump ship. London-based Willis Towers Watson seeks to block servicing of transferred contractor and owner accounts. August 26, 2026 Willis Towers Watson sued rival insurance broker Lockton Aug. 24 after 18 members of the former's construction practice resigned within 44 minutes and joined the competitor, alleging that 13 client accounts began moving immediately afterward. The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts, involves a specialized Willis Towers Watson team providing insurance and risk-management services to construction companies nationwide. The dispute could also affect contractors and owners that followed their brokers to Lockton. London-based Willis Towers Watson seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against both Kansas City, Mo.,-based Lockton and the former employees, asking the court to bar further solicitation and restrict Lockton from servicing certain transferred accounts. "In other words, the clients Lockton stole should be told that they need to go back to WTW or to another competitor," Willis Towers Watson argues in its filing. "Lockton should not be allowed to profit from its unlawful conduct." Client accounts follow departing brokers. The departures began at 8:02 a.m. Aug. 19 when Michael Scott, a senior leader in Willis Towers Watson's New England construction practice, resigned effective immediately, according to the company filing. By 8:46 a.m., the other 17 defendants had resigned. Among them was Thomas Grandmaison, Willis Towers Watson chief client officer for construction, who has previously spoken with ENR about construction insurance issues. Most members of the group worked in Boston, while several worked in Pennsylvania or Alabama and reported to the construction team's leadership. Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics? Try Ask ENR, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ENR Thomas Grandmaison, most recently Willis Towers Watson chief client officer for construction, spoke with ENR in 2021 about insurance challenges facing delayed construction projects. He was among 18 company brokers who resigned Aug. 19 and joined Lockton. By Aug. 21, Willis Towers Watson says it had received broker-of-record letters from five clients transferring their business to Lockton and carrier notifications involving eight other accounts that had designated new brokers. Four of the broker-of-record letters were dated Aug. 19 - the day the employees resigned. The 13 relationships represented more than $5 million in annual revenue to Willis Towers Watson, according to the filing. That amounts to about 0.3% of the $1.55 billion in revenue that Willis Towers Watson's North American Risk & Broking business generated in 2025. The clients are not identified. Willis Towers Watson alleges the employees joined Lockton in violation of employment agreements requiring 15 days' notice and restricting solicitation or servicing of certain of its clients for 12 or 24 months. Willis Towers Watson also alleges Scott and Grandmaison breached fiduciary duties and that Lockton aided the alleged breaches and interfered with employee agreements. The allegations have not been adjudicated. As evidence that the departures were planned in advance, Willis Towers Watson alleges Scott had earlier disclosed details of a compensation package Lockton offered him while negotiating with his then-current firm over compensation for himself and his team. Willis Towers Watson also says Lockton's offer to Scott included a 25% salary increase, a $500,000 annual bonus guaranteed for five years and additional production incentives. Lockton declined to comment on the litigation. Willis Towers Watson also has declined comment beyond its court filings. Construction broker moves have precedent. Mass departures of construction brokers have triggered litigation before. ENR reported in 2011 that about 100 construction accounts representing roughly $20 million in annual revenue followed two senior Aon construction insurance executives to Alliant, with dozens of Aon employees eventually making the same move. The resulting litigation involved contractor clients including Turner Construction and Tutor Perini. Grandmaison and Scott were themselves previously part of another major move of construction insurance brokers. They joined Willis Towers Watson from Aon in 2022 with other members of a 10-person construction team. Grandmaison previously served as chief broking officer for Aon's construction xervices group. Willis Towers Watson also points to a 2019 case in which Lockton sought court protection after 26 employees left its Denver operation for a competitor. Willis Towers Watson argues that Lockton obtained restrictions in that case similar to those the London broker now seeks in Massachusetts, including preventing the competing broker from retaining certain client business transferred following the employee departures. The court had not ruled on Willis Towers Watson's request for emergency relief as of Aug. 25. SPONSORED BY Hi there. I'm Ask ENR. You can ask me anything about construction and engineering, and I'll help find the content you're looking for. Go ahead, Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.