Asia

Watson Wyatt opens Shanghai office

Insurance and financial services consultancy Watson Wyatt, which has serviced the Chinese insurance market through its offices in Hong Kong, is setting up a consulting presence in Shanghai in early 2006. Watson Wyatt provides services to both domestic Chinese insurers and multinational joint ventures in the market. The Watson Wyatt consulting team in Shanghai will be led by Michael Ross, who has led much of the insurance consulting undertaken by the firm in China in recent years. This work includes acting as the consulting actuaries to Ping An Insurance, the second biggest insurer in China, during its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2004. Watson Wyatt has been active in the Chinese financial market since 1984 and has had a presence in the Chinese insurance market since 1995 when it opened a representative office in Shanghai in 1995. According to the firm, Watson Wyatt’s Greater China business unit now comprises five offices – in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taipei.