Willis Group Holdings has created a new executive position focused on boosting collaboration within the company. A veteran of Swiss Re and elsewhere will fill the slot.

Stefan Spohr is now the first-ever head of global industries at the global risk adviser, insurance and reinsurance broker. He is a veteran of A.T. Kearney and BearingPoint, and has held reinsurance-underwriting roles at both Swiss Re in Zurich, and Willis, the company said. Overall, he has more than 20 years of financial services industry experience.

In his new job, he’ll help boost Willis Group’s activities and client focus in chosen industry sectors, leading collaboration between specialist industry and geography teams, Willis Group said.

Dominic Casserley, CEO of Willis Group, said in a statement that Spohr will bring to the company “the strong leadership and wide market perspective we need to galvanize our industry efforts.”

In another big hire back in November, Willis named Nicholas Aubert as “chief executive officer designate” of Willis U.K. Insurance., a division that combines U.K. retail and global specialty businesses. The veteran AIG executive will begin serving in that transitional role in 2015, and officially succeed Steve Hearn as head of Willis U.K. Insurance after a transition period and a number of regulatory approvals.

Source: Willis Group Holdings