Former Willis Towers Watson CEO Tony Barber will join JLT next year as Chairman of Specialty in Australia.

As reported in a Breaking News bulletin on Thursday, Mr Barber resigned last week from Willis Towers Watson after less than a year in the job.

He has been replaced by Andrew Boal, who has been made Regional Head of Australia.

Mr Boal most recently served as head of large accounts for Australasia and GM corporate risk and broking for Victoria, and has been with the company 24 years.

He was Australia MD of Towers Watson prior to the merger with Willis.

Mr Barber joined Willis in 1998 and stayed until 2009, after which he spent three years with Aon.

He rejoined Willis in January 2013 as deputy CEO before his appointment to CEO following the retirement of former chief Roger Wilkinson.

He will join JLT in March after serving six months’ gardening leave and be responsible for leading business development, reporting to Australia and New Zealand CEO Leo Demer.

The move will boost JLT Australia’s senior management stocks following the move to Marsh in August by MD business development Marcus Pearson and the appointment of specialty division head Andrew Barrowman late last year to run JLT’s Hong Kong operations.

The company also lost Chairman Steve Ball, who died suddenly in May last year.

Mr Demer told insuranceNEWS.com.au Mr Barber is well known and respected within the industry.

“He will inject a level of seniority into the business, in terms of knowledge, experience and training,” he said.

“He’s just what we needed and he’ll bring fresh ideas in relation to where the business is going and what the future holds for brokers.”