Willis has named Mareli Vermeulen head of mergers & acquisitions (M&A), Asia, within its Financial & Executive Risks (FINEX) business, the business announced in a media release on Thursday.
Vermeulen will relocate from Sydney to Singapore in the first quarter of 2026 to take on the new role, where she will lead the development and delivery of transaction risk solutions for the global broker’s M&A and Private Equity clients across Asia, Willis said.
She brings over 13 years of experience advising private equity firms and corporate acquirers on complex transactions and most recently served as a director in Willis’ Pacific M&A team, where she advised clients on warranty & indemnity (W&I) and tax liability insurance solutions for deals in Australia and New Zealand.
Before joining Willis, Vermeulen worked as an M&A and Private Equity Lawyer at international law firms in Australia and South Africa.
“We’re delighted to welcome Mareli to our FINEX team,” Namit Mahajan, Head of FINEX, Asia at Willis, said. “With her leading our M&A business, she will help our clients achieve greater certainty of closing and deliver strong risk‑transfer outcomes for their M&A transactions in Asia.”
Speaking on the wider M&A landscape in the region, Steven Torresan, Head of M&A, International, FINEX at Willis, said: “The M&A insurance market across Asia is experiencing strong momentum, with our analysis showing more than 20% growth in product utilisation in 2025 —a trajectory we expect to continue.”
“[Vermeulen’s] background as a top‑tier lawyer for more than eight years before joining Willis, combined with nearly five years of dedicated M&A insurance experience within our market‑leading Pacific M&A practice, positions her exceptionally well to elevate our client offerings across the region,” Torresan noted.
Vermeulen’s appointment comes amid a series of recent transaction line-related appointments by insurance brokers in the region, led by Howden’s raid on rival Aon, including Adrian Chai to lead the business’s Asia W&I Practice, Shunsuke Takechi as Head of M&A in Japan, and Jamie Wan as senior director, M&A.
It also comes with Willis making its own key moves throughout the region since the turn of the year, including Steve Hutchinson as head of corporate risk and broking for Hong Kong and Macau; Jess Li as director of P&C in Hong Kong and Macau; and Eden Fletcher as head of FINEX, Pacific.
