Willis and the University of East Anglia launch wildfire risk partnership in response to escalating global threat
Willis (NASDAQ:WTW) has announced a strategic partnership with the University of East Anglia (UEA) to enhance understanding of global wildfire risks. This collaboration comes as wildfire-related losses are reaching levels comparable to hurricane damage, with recent examples including $1.5 billion in losses from Australia's Black Summer bushfires and $40 billion in damage from Los Angeles' Palisades and Eaton fires.
The partnership will combine Willis' catastrophe risk expertise with UEA's climate and fire science capabilities, led by Dr. Matthew Jones, who co-leads the State of Wildfires Report. The collaboration aims to provide insurers and reinsurers with scientific insights to better understand and manage the evolving wildfire risk landscape, particularly as climate change expands fire-prone areas beyond traditional hotspots.
Willis (NASDAQ:WTW) ha annunciato una partnership strategica con la University of East Anglia (UEA) per migliorare la comprensione dei rischi globali legati agli incendi boschivi. Questa collaborazione arriva in un momento in cui le perdite causate dagli incendi stanno raggiungendo livelli paragonabili a quelli dei danni provocati dagli uragani, con esempi recenti come 1,5 miliardi di dollari di perdite dovute agli incendi della Black Summer in Australia e 40 miliardi di dollari di danni causati dagli incendi di Palisades ed Eaton a Los Angeles.
La partnership unirà l'expertise di Willis nel rischio catastrofale con le competenze della UEA in scienze climatiche e degli incendi, sotto la guida del Dr. Matthew Jones, co-responsabile del State of Wildfires Report. L'obiettivo è fornire a assicuratori e riassicuratori approfondimenti scientifici per comprendere e gestire meglio l'evoluzione del rischio incendi, soprattutto considerando come il cambiamento climatico stia ampliando le aree soggette al fuoco oltre le zone tradizionali.
Willis (NASDAQ:WTW) ha anunciado una alianza estratégica con la University of East Anglia (UEA) para mejorar la comprensión de los riesgos globales de incendios forestales. Esta colaboración surge en un momento en que las pérdidas relacionadas con incendios alcanzan niveles comparables a los daños causados por huracanes, con ejemplos recientes como 1.500 millones de dólares en pérdidas por los incendios Black Summer en Australia y 40.000 millones de dólares en daños por los incendios de Palisades y Eaton en Los Ángeles.
La alianza combinará la experiencia de Willis en riesgos catastróficos con las capacidades de la UEA en ciencias climáticas y de incendios, lideradas por el Dr. Matthew Jones, co-líder del State of Wildfires Report. La colaboración busca proporcionar a aseguradoras y reaseguradoras conocimientos científicos para entender y gestionar mejor el panorama cambiante del riesgo de incendios, especialmente a medida que el cambio climático expande las zonas propensas al fuego más allá de los puntos críticos tradicionales.
Willis (NASDAQ:WTW)는 University of East Anglia (UEA)와 전략적 파트너십을 발표하여 전 세계 산불 위험에 대한 이해를 높이고자 합니다. 이번 협력은 산불 관련 손실이 허리케인 피해 수준에 버금가는 상황에서 이루어졌으며, 최근 호주의 블랙 서머 산불로 인한 15억 달러의 손실과 로스앤젤레스 팔리세이즈 및 이튼 산불로 인한 400억 달러의 피해가 그 예입니다.
이번 파트너십은 Willis의 재난 위험 전문성과 UEA의 기후 및 화재 과학 역량을 결합하며, 드 Matthew Jones 박사가 공동으로 이끄는 State of Wildfires Report가 주도합니다. 이 협력은 보험사와 재보험사에 과학적 통찰을 제공하여 기후 변화로 인해 전통적인 산불 위험 지역을 넘어 화재 취약 지역이 확대되는 상황에서 진화하는 산불 위험을 보다 잘 이해하고 관리할 수 있도록 하는 것을 목표로 합니다.
Willis (NASDAQ:WTW) a annoncé un partenariat stratégique avec l'University of East Anglia (UEA) afin d'améliorer la compréhension des risques mondiaux liés aux incendies de forêt. Cette collaboration intervient alors que les pertes liées aux incendies atteignent des niveaux comparables aux dégâts causés par les ouragans, avec des exemples récents tels que 1,5 milliard de dollars de pertes lors des feux de brousse Black Summer en Australie et 40 milliards de dollars de dégâts causés par les incendies de Palisades et Eaton à Los Angeles.
Le partenariat associera l'expertise de Willis en matière de risques catastrophiques aux compétences de l'UEA en sciences climatiques et des incendies, sous la direction du Dr Matthew Jones, co-responsable du State of Wildfires Report. Cette collaboration vise à fournir aux assureurs et réassureurs des connaissances scientifiques pour mieux comprendre et gérer l'évolution du risque d'incendie, notamment alors que le changement climatique étend les zones à risque au-delà des points chauds traditionnels.
Willis (NASDAQ:WTW) hat eine strategische Partnerschaft mit der University of East Anglia (UEA) angekündigt, um das Verständnis der globalen Waldbrandrisiken zu verbessern. Diese Zusammenarbeit erfolgt, da die Verluste durch Waldbrände mittlerweile mit den Schäden durch Hurrikane vergleichbar sind, mit aktuellen Beispielen wie 1,5 Milliarden US-Dollar Verlusten durch die Black Summer Buschbrände in Australien und 40 Milliarden US-Dollar Schäden durch die Palisades- und Eaton-Brände in Los Angeles.
Die Partnerschaft verbindet Willis' Expertise im Katastrophenrisiko mit den Klima- und Brandwissenschaftlichen Fähigkeiten der UEA, geleitet von Dr. Matthew Jones, der den State of Wildfires Report mitverantwortet. Ziel der Zusammenarbeit ist es, Versicherern und Rückversicherern wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse zu liefern, um die sich wandelnde Waldbrandrisikolandschaft besser zu verstehen und zu managen, insbesondere da der Klimawandel feuergefährdete Gebiete über die traditionellen Hotspots hinaus ausweitet.
- Strategic partnership with UEA enhances Willis' wildfire risk assessment capabilities
- Access to leading climate and fire science expertise through Dr. Matthew Jones' research network of 60 institutions
- Positions Willis to better serve clients with advanced wildfire risk insights and strategies
- Growing unpredictability and intensity of wildfires pose increasing challenges for risk assessment
- Expanding fire-prone areas beyond traditional hotspots create new uncertainties
Insights
Willis-UEA partnership addresses critical wildfire risk modeling needs as losses rival hurricane damage, potentially strengthening WTW's competitive position.
This new collaboration between Willis (WTW) and the University of East Anglia represents a strategic response to the rapidly evolving wildfire risk landscape. The partnership addresses a significant gap in the insurance industry's ability to accurately model and price wildfire risk, which has transformed from a secondary peril into a major threat causing losses comparable to hurricanes.
The partnership's timing is particularly relevant given the escalating financial impact of recent wildfire events. The mention of
By partnering with Dr. Matthew Jones, who co-leads the State of Wildfires Report connecting 60 institutions across six continents, Willis gains access to world-class expertise that should enhance their catastrophe modeling capabilities. The collaboration will likely strengthen Willis's competitive position by enabling more sophisticated risk assessment tools that account for changing fire frequency, intensity, geography, and the emerging threat of urban conflagrations.
For WTW stakeholders, this partnership reflects a forward-looking approach to a growing business challenge. As climate change expands fire-prone areas beyond traditional hotspots and urban development increases property values in vulnerable regions, insurers face mounting pressure to accurately price and manage this evolving risk. Companies with superior wildfire risk modeling capabilities will be better positioned to maintain profitable underwriting in affected markets, potentially creating competitive advantage as other insurers struggle with risk assessment or exit vulnerable markets entirely.
LONDON, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis, a WTW business, (NASDAQ:WTW), today announced a new collaboration with the University of East Anglia (UEA) to deepen understanding of global wildfire risk. With wildfires now rivalling the losses caused by other perils such as hurricanes, this partnership aims to deliver credible scientific insight that helps insurers and reinsurers keep pace with a rapidly changing risk landscape.
Wildfires have intensified in recent years, becoming larger, more destructive, and increasingly unpredictable. Shifting climate conditions are expanding fire-prone areas beyond traditional hotspots and triggering more intense and destructive fires, while urban growth and rising property values are amplifying the potential for catastrophic loss. From insured losses amounting to US
This collaboration will focus on helping the insurance sector understand the shifting nature of wildfire risk, including changes in fire frequency, intensity, geography, and the growing threat of urban conflagrations. By combining Willis’ catastrophe risk expertise with the leading climate and fire science of Dr. Matthew Jones at UEA, the partnership will support clients in anticipating wildfire-related losses and responding with more informed risk strategies.
Dr. Matthew Jones co-leads the State of Wildfires Report, an annual initiative with an international network of fire scientists from 60 institutions covering six continents. This report examines the causes of extreme wildfire events of the latest fire season, evaluates future wildfire risks under climate change, and identifies opportunities to minimise risk through climate action and land management practices.
“The insurance industry can no longer treat wildfire as a niche peril confined to a few known hotspots,” said Dr. Daniel Bannister, Weather & Climate Risks Research Lead at the Willis Research Network. “We are seeing more frequent, fast-moving fires capable of devastating urban areas and overwhelming response systems. As insurers grapple with the mounting human and economic toll, robust and accessible insights from cutting-edge research are needed more than ever before. By partnering with UEA, we aim to distil the latest research into meaningful insights that help our clients understand and manage wildfire risk, today and into the future.”
“Wildfires are a growing threat that will worsen as the climate warms, and societies are increasingly feeling the brunt of their impacts worldwide. It is critical that our research keeps pace with the emerging threat, for example by providing better prediction and warning systems and guiding forest management and fire prevention strategies that best protect society from wildfires,” said Dr. Matthew Jones. “UEA’s partnership with Willis represents a bridge between science and society and that will ensure that our research delivers real-world benefits that make communities more prepared for and resilient to wildfires.”
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About the University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a UK Top 25 university (Complete University Guide and HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey). It also ranks in the UK Top 20 for research quality (Times Higher Education REF2021 Analysis) and the UK Top 10 for impact on Sustainable Development Goals. Known for its world-leading research and good student experience, its 360-acre campus has won seven Green Flag awards in a row for its high environmental standards. The University is a leading member of Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health and plant science. www.uea.ac.uk.
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