NU Online News Service, March 3, 11:01 a.m.EST

As political unrest continues to roil the Middle East, Willis Retoday announced the appointment of Atish Suri as DivisionalDirector of Dubai.

Willis Group Holdings, the parent company of Willis Re, said Mr.Suri's appointment creates an “on-the-ground” presence in theregion. He will be working to service the reinsurance broker'sbusiness in Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,Saudi Arabia and Oman in conjunction with the London reinsuranceteam.

Mr. Suri will be based in the firm's Dubai office. He willreport to Ahmed Rajab, Regional Director for Willis Re's operationsin the Middle East and North Africa.

Willis said Mr. Suri has been with the firm for four years, andmost recently held the same position in London. Prior toWillis, he worked at BMS International and at JB Boda.

On the retail insurance side, Willis said it has been inpartnership with Al Futtaim, one of the Middle East's leadingbusiness groups, for almost 35 years.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Rajab said, “This representsa very important step for Willis Re and reflects our wish to beeven closer to our clients so we can have a better understanding oftheir business environment and the issues they face. Having apermanent presence in Dubai demonstrates our commitment to theregion and will enhance our ability to deliver more effectively awide range of analytical and transactional services to clientsthroughout the Middle East region.”

A spokesman for Willis said in an e-mail that the appointment ofMr. Suri is part of the firm's long-term development plans for theregion and has nothing to do with the unrest in theMideast.