2022 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Jo Holliday Managing director of crisis management
Willis Towers Watson PLC
London
In an anomaly for the insurance industry, Jo Holliday has spent her entire career in effectively one department of WTW, specializing in what she calls “the lively stuff.”
She was lured into insurance when scouting for a company to join for her year out in industry while at university. “Not only did WTW give me an interview, but they took me out to lunch and as a poor student, that was a decision made,” she said.
She joined Willis Faber and Dumas in a team of two looking after the kidnap and ransom book.
“I had never heard of kidnap insurance until that day,” she said. “But by the time I was due to return to university the following May, they offered me a full-time job and the chance to finish my degree remotely as well as getting my (Chartered Insurance Institute) exams.”
Working in partnership with her boss, recently retired Doug Milne, Ms. Holliday has seen the department expand to include everything from cyber extortion to accident and health cover for people “doing unusual things in unusual places.”
“Jo is dedicated to delivering crisis management and contingency risk management to a wide number of multinational clients,” said Alastair Swift, head of global lines of business at WTW. “Her expertise and knowledge across challenging areas including special crime … and terrorism is second to none in the industry,” he said in a letter supporting her nomination.
This year has been particularly busy because of the Ukraine-Russia war, but it has not dampened her enthusiasm for her role.
When not dealing with tricky situations, Ms. Holliday is a member of WTW’s inclusivity and diversity council, where she has a particular interest in helping those in the company’s apprenticeship and graduate program.
Outside of work, Ms. Holliday has been married to recently retired geologist Mark for more than 30 years and they have two boys. The elder son has started in the graduate program at Marsh — something that delights and surprises Jo, who said she never expected her child to follow her into the world of insurance.
