Willis Towers Watson has hired Marcus Bowser to lead its life insurance consulting team in the UK.

Bowser takes over the role from Colin Forrest, who becomes regional leader for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in the company’s insurance consulting and technology business.

Bowser has close to 20 years of experience in the life insurance industry. He most recently served as UK life sales and practice leader within the insurance consulting and technology business.

Prior to joining Willis Towers Watson in 2015, Bowser held a number of senior positions with Aviva, S&P and PwC.

Forrest commented: “I’m delighted to announce that Marcus will be taking on the role of UK life leader, with immediate effect. In the last four years, he has successfully led and delivered new and innovative business and technology solutions sought by our life insurance clients in the UK during a time of significant market disruption. Marcus has all the skills, experience and knowledge to lead the UK team successfully over the coming years as the market presents us with ever-evolving opportunities and challenges.”

Speaking of his appointment Bowser said: “Technology is rapidly impacting on all aspects of insurers’ businesses, enabling greater connectedness to the end customer who is in turn demanding ever easier interactions and more from those interactions. This coupled with a need for operational efficiency in the face of brutal margin compression, a challenging economic environment, regulatory headwinds, and increasing complexity in their financial reporting, means there is plenty for insurers’ boards to consider when considering how best to deliver value to their stakeholders. I’m excited to be taking on this new role at time of considerable change and supporting our clients to navigate these challenges.”