Willis, a business of WTW, has announced the launch of a dedicated Data Centre Industry Practice for Asia, appointing Lay See Ong as the Practice Leader. This move highlights Willis’ commitment to enhancing its capabilities as Asia’s Best Risk Adviser and Speciality Broker, as the region experiences rapid growth in data centre colocation.
The data centre sector in Asia is projected to be the fastest growing globally over the next five years, with a construction pipeline estimated at $160b across South, Southeast Asia, and Australasia. Countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and India are expected to drive this growth. Luke Ware, Head of Asia at WTW, noted the complex insurance landscape faced by data centres, which includes risks like natural hazards, business interruptions, and cyber threats.
Willis’ new practice aims to offer a customer-centric approach by integrating expertise from various business lines. By collaborating with global and regional specialists, the firm seeks to provide a unified offering to help companies navigate the intricate risk landscape of the data centre sector. “The world’s largest technology firms are moving to Southeast Asia to build data centres at a time when demand for infrastructure and computing power to enable AI is rapidly rising,” Ware added.
Lay See Ong, with over 25 years of experience in risk advisory and broking, will lead the new practice. Based in Singapore, she will continue her role as Strategic Client Leader within Large Accounts Asia, bringing her extensive expertise in Technology, Media & Telecommunications and complex infrastructure sectors to the position.
