The Research Centre will be led by Dr Tina Thompson and will provide access to peer-reviewed academic work to support applied innovations across all Gallagher Re’s advisory and transactional products related to both natural and manmade perils.
Through the creation of a broad network of academic partnerships and collaborations, working integrally with Gallagher Re colleagues, the GRC will develop and deliver cutting-edge research and innovation in an increasingly complex risk landscape to help clients develop their own view of risk for all types of hazard, Gallagher explained.
To support academic partnerships and collaborations, Dr. Iain Willis has been appointed as GRC research director.
Prior to Gallagher, Willis spent seven years as managing director of JBA Risk Management’s Singapore subsidiary. In this role, Willis was responsible for business development in Asia Pacific including data licensing and consultancy opportunities for JBA (CAT) probabilistic models, hazard maps, event sets, training, and disaster scenarios.
Commenting on the launch, Dr Tina Thompson, GRC global head of research, has said:
“The vision of the GRC is to deliver invaluable insight through creating an ecosystem of academic partners and innovation that will provide a unique offering to our clients. It will drive research across the full spectrum of (re)insurance – not just natural catastrophe risk.
“While natural catastrophe and climate change research continue to be a priority, the evolving complexity of risk over the past two years has clearly demonstrated why it is essential the GRC has a wider remit to more accurately capture and quantify the risks posed by unmodelled, emerging and man-made perils. All of which are becoming more self-evident.”
Dr Ian Willis, GRC research director, added:
“The launch of the GRC is an incredibly exciting venture for the entire industry. We’re aiming to build closer ties between the insurance sector and academia at a much-needed time. By collaborating with global experts in their respective fields, we’re able to help share the latest research findings, challenge existing views and develop new risk solutions for our clients.
“In such a rapidly changing risk landscape, the innovation and applied research generated by the GRC will provide an essential mechanism in how we solve the risk management challenges of the future.”
