Willis Towers Watson 10-K 2021-12-31

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark one)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number: 001-16503

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of ‘large accelerated filer’, ‘accelerated filer’ and ‘smaller reporting company’ in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☑

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, computed by reference to the last reported price at which the Registrant’s common equity was sold on June 30, 2021 (the last day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second quarter) was $29,461,050,498.

As of February 18, 2022, there were outstanding 117,745,623 ordinary shares, nominal value $0.000304635 per share, of the Registrant.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of Part III will be incorporated by reference in accordance with Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K no later than 120 days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year.

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

INDEX TO FORM 10-K

For the year ended December 31, 2021

Certain De****finitions

The following definitions apply throughout this annual report unless the context requires otherwise:

Disclaimer Regarding For****ward-looking Statements

We have included in this document ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our operations. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future, including such things as our outlook, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, future capital expenditures, ongoing working capital efforts, future share repurchases, financial results (including our revenue, costs or margins), the impact of changes to tax laws on our financial results, existing and evolving business strategies and acquisitions and dispositions, including the sale of Willis Re to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (‘Gallagher’), demand for our services and competitive strengths, goals, the benefits of new initiatives, growth of our business and operations, our ability to successfully manage ongoing leadership, organizational and technology changes, including investments in improving systems and processes, our ability to implement and realize anticipated benefits of any cost-savings initiatives including the multi-year operational Transformation program, and plans and references to future successes, including our future financial and operating results, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions are forward-looking statements. Also, when we use words such as ‘may,’ ‘will,’ ‘would,’ ‘anticipate,’ ‘believe,’ ‘estimate,’ ‘expect,’ ‘intend,’ ‘plan,’ ‘probably,’ or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking disclosure is speculative by its nature.

A number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results reflected in these forward-looking statements are identified under ‘Risk Factors’ in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These statements are based on assumptions that may not come true and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.

Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of these assumptions, and therefore also the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions, could themselves prove to be inaccurate. Given the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our inclusion of this information is not a representation or guarantee by us that our objectives and plans will be achieved.

Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and we will not update these forward-looking statements unless the securities laws require us to do so. With regard to these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this document may not occur, and we caution you against unduly relying on these forward-looking statements.

PART I.

The discussion of the general development of our business in this Item 1 Business provides an update on the material changes to our business since our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2020 (the ‘2019 Form 10-K’), which included a complete description of our business as of December 31, 2019. We incorporate herein the description of our business, including as specified in the discussion in this Item 1 below, by reference to the 2019 Form 10-K, available at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001140536/000156459020006736/wltw-10k_20191231.htm#ITEM_1_BUSINESS

The Company

WTW is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that provides data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our more than 44,000 colleagues serving more than 140 countries and markets, we help sharpen strategies, enhance organizational resilience, motivate workforces and maximize performance. We design and deliver solutions that manage risk, optimize benefits, cultivate talent and expand the power of capital to protect and strengthen institutions and individuals. Working closely with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success.

Our clients operate on a global and local scale in a multitude of businesses and industries throughout the world and generally range in size from large, major multinational corporations to middle-market domestic and international companies. Our clients include many of the world’s leading corporations, including approximately 92% of the FTSE 100, 91% of the Fortune 1000, and 90% of the Fortune Global 500 companies. We also advise the majority of the world’s leading insurance companies. We work with major corporations, emerging growth companies, governmental agencies and not-for-profit institutions in a wide variety of industries, with many of our client relationships spanning decades. No one client accounted for a significant concentration of revenue in each of the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. We place insurance with more than 2,500 insurance carriers, none of which individually accounted for a significant concentration of the total premiums we placed on behalf of our clients in 2021, 2020 or 2019.

Segment Reorganization

With effect from January 1, 2022, we provide a comprehensive offering of services and solutions to clients across two business segments: Health, Wealth and Career (‘HWC’), and Risk and Broking (‘RB’). These changes were made in conjunction with changes in the WTW leadership team, including the appointment of a new chief executive officer who succeeded the prior CEO as the chief operating decision maker on that date. Prior to January 1, 2022, we operated across four segments: Human Capital and Benefits; Corporate Risk and Broking; Investment, Risk and Reinsurance; and Benefits Delivery and Administration. The HWC segment will include businesses currently aligned under the Human Capital and Benefits segment, the Benefits Delivery and Administration segment, and the Investment business, currently under the Investment, Risk and Reinsurance segment. The RB segment will include businesses currently aligned under the Corporate Risk and Broking segment, as well as the Insurance Consulting and Technology business, currently under the Investment, Risk and Reinsurance segment. Beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, segment results will be presented on a retrospective basis to reflect the reorganization.

Willis Re Divestiture

On August 13, 2021, WTW entered into a definitive agreement to sell its treaty-reinsurance business (‘Willis Re’) to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (‘Gallagher’) for total upfront cash consideration of $3.25 billion plus an earnout payable in 2025 of up to $750 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments. The deal was subject to required regulatory approvals and clearances, as well as other customary closing conditions, and was completed on December 1, 2021 (‘Principal Closing’). Although the majority of the Willis Re businesses transferred to Gallagher at Principal Closing, the assets and liabilities of certain Willis Re businesses were not transferred to Gallagher at the time due to local territory restrictions (‘Deferred Closing’). The Deferred Closing is expected to be completed no later than the end of the second quarter of 2022, and all net earnings of the Deferred Closing businesses accumulated between the Principal Closing and Deferred Closing are payable to Gallagher at that time. We recognized a preliminary pre-tax gain of $2.3 billion upon completion of the sale.

In connection with the transaction, we reclassified the results of the Willis Re operations as discontinued operations on our consolidated statements of comprehensive income and have reclassified Willis Re assets and liabilities as held for sale on our consolidated balance sheets. Willis Re was previously included in the Investment, Risk and Reinsurance segment.

A number of services are continuing under a cost reimbursement Transition Services Agreement (‘TSA’) in which WTW is providing Gallagher support including real estate leases, information technology, payroll, human resources and accounting. These services are expected to be provided for a period not to exceed two years.

Termination of the Proposed Combination with Aon plc

On March 9, 2020, WTW and Aon plc (‘Aon’) issued an announcement disclosing that the respective boards of directors of WTW and Aon had reached agreement on the terms of a recommended acquisition of WTW by Aon. Under the terms of the agreement each WTW shareholder would receive 1.08 Aon ordinary shares for each WTW ordinary share. At the time of the announcement, it was estimated that upon completion of the combination, existing Aon shareholders would own approximately 63% and existing WTW shareholders would own approximately 37% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis.

The transaction was approved by the shareholders of both WTW and Aon during meetings of the respective shareholders held on August 26, 2020. On June 16, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia against WTW and Aon, seeking to enjoin the proposed business combination between the two companies (among other relief). On July 26, 2021, WTW and Aon announced they had terminated the business combination agreement and that Aon had agreed to pay WTW $1 billion in connection with such termination, which was received by WTW on July 27, 2021 (the ‘Termination’ or the ‘Termination Agreement’). The $1 billion income receipt has been included in transaction and integration, net in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Under the Termination Agreement, WTW and Aon on behalf of themselves and certain other related and affiliated parties, each agreed to release the other from all claims and actions arising out of or related to the business combination agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, subject to certain exceptions.

Available Information

The Company files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘SEC’). The SEC maintains a website that contains annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information that issuers (including WTW) file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s website is www.sec.gov.

The Company makes available, free of charge through our website, www.wtwco.com, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our proxy statement, current reports on Form 8-K and Forms 3, 4, and 5 filed on behalf of directors and executive officers, as well as any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ‘Exchange Act’) as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Unless specifically incorporated by reference, information on our website is not a part of this Form 10-K.

The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, Audit and Risk Committee Charter, Operational Transformation Committee Charter, Compensation Committee Charter, and Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee Charter are available on our website, www.wtwco.com, in the Investor Relations section, or upon request. Requests for copies of these documents should be directed in writing to the Company Secretary c/o Office of General Counsel, Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company, Brookfield Place, 200 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10281.

General Information

WTW offers its clients a broad range of services and solutions to help them to identify and control their risks, and to enhance business performance by improving their ability to attract, retain and engage a talented workforce. Our risk control services range from strategic risk consulting (including providing actuarial analysis), to a variety of due diligence services, to the provision of practical on-site risk control services (such as health and safety or property loss control consulting), as well as analytical and advisory services (such as hazard modeling and climate risk quantification). We assist clients in planning how to manage incidents or crises when they occur. These services include contingency planning, security audits and product tampering plans. We help our clients enhance their business performance by delivering consulting services, technology and solutions that help them anticipate, identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities in human capital management, as well as offer investment advice to help them develop disciplined and efficient strategies to meet their investment goals.

As an insurance broker, we act as an intermediary between our clients and insurance carriers by advising our clients on their risk management requirements, helping them to determine the best means of managing risk and negotiating and placing insurance with insurance carriers through our global distribution network. We operate a private Medicare exchange in the U.S. Through this exchange and those for active employees, we help our clients move to a more sustainable economic model by capping and controlling the costs associated with healthcare benefits.

We are not an insurance company, and therefore we do not underwrite insurable risks for our own account.

We derive the majority of our revenue from either commissions or fees for brokerage or consulting services. We do not determine the insurance premiums on which our commissions are generally based. Commission levels generally follow the same trend as premium levels as they are derived from a percentage of the premiums paid by the insureds. Fluctuations in these premiums charged by the insurance carriers can therefore have a direct and potentially material impact on our results of operations. Our fees for consulting services are spread across a variety of complementary businesses that generally remain steady during times of uncertainty. We have some businesses, such as our health and benefits and administration businesses, which can be counter cyclical during the early period of a significant economic change.

Impact of COVID-19 and Related Economic Impacts

Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic generally did not have a material adverse impact on our overall financial results. Initially, the pandemic had a negative impact on our revenue growth, primarily in our businesses that are discretionary in nature, however we later saw an increased demand for these services, which improved revenue growth beginning in the second quarter of 2021. There continues to be increased demand for our services, particularly those services that address the various challenges in the global labor markets and disruptions to the supply chain. While we believe we have adapted to the unique challenges posed by the pandemic surrounding how and where we do our work, we are also impacted by workforce availability, and this may make it difficult for us to meet the demand from our clients. COVID-19 also poses a range of other risks and uncertainties for our business. For information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on our business and measures we have taken in response, see Item 7 ‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Risks and Uncertainties of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Related Economic Environment’ and Item 1A ‘Risk Factors-Strategic, Operational and Technology Risks-We have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and may be substantially and negatively impacted by it in the future.’

Business Strategy

The Company is in the business of people, risk and capital. We believe that a unified approach to these areas can be a path to growth for organizations around the world. In that spirit, we bring the collective power of our colleagues together – as ‘One WTW’ – to serve and support our clients.

We operate in attractive markets – both growing and mature – with a diversified platform across geographies, industries, segments and lines of business.

Our vision is to be the best advisory, broking and solutions company for the benefit of all our stakeholders – creating a competitive advantage and delivering sustainable, profitable growth.

We believe we can achieve this through executing on our three strategic priorities – grow, simplify and transform:

Grow at or above market in priority areas: Focus on core opportunities with the highest growth and return; innovate and accelerate our offerings through a dynamic, yet disciplined, approach; bring targeted solutions to clients reflecting more connected offerings; and increase scale to fill gaps in capabilities through inorganic expansion.

Simplify the business to increase agility and effectiveness: Implement the Company’s streamlined structure of two business segments (Health, Wealth and Career and Risk and Broking; see ‘Segment Reorganization’ within this Item 1 for further information) and three geographies (Europe, International and North America); develop a globally consistent client management model and enhance operations to improve sales and retention outcomes; manage our portfolio of businesses intentionally to drive optimal value; and increase speed of execution through agile decision-making processes.

Transform operations to drive savings while enhancing our client and colleague experiences: Maximize global platforms to be as common as possible and as distinct as necessary; right-shore operations to capitalize on our scale; rationalize real estate and build new ways of working; and modernize technology to enhance the digital experience.

We care as much about how we work as we do about the impact that we make. This means commitment to a shared purpose and values, a framework that guides how we run our business and serve clients.

Through these strategies we aim to accelerate revenue, margin improvement, cash flow, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (‘EBITDA’), and earnings growth, and to generate compelling returns for investors, by delivering tangible growth in revenue.

For more information about risks to our strategic plans, see Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors of this Form 10-K.

Principal Services

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we managed our business across four integrated reportable operating segments: Human Capital and Benefits; Corporate Risk and Broking; Investment, Risk and Reinsurance; and Benefits Delivery and Administration. Below are the percentages of revenue generated by each segment for each of the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. These percentages exclude revenue that has been classified as discontinued operations in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Human Capital and Benefits

For a description of our Human Capital and Benefits (‘HCB’) segment, see the link above to the 2019 Form 10-K, and see ‘Human Capital and Benefits’ within Part I, Item 1 Business in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2020. There have been no material updates to the description of our HCB segment since the 2019 Form 10-K other than the updated information provided below.

Talent & Rewards — Our Talent & Rewards (‘T&R’) business provides advice, data, software and products to address clients’ total rewards and talent issues. T&R has operations across the globe, including centralized software development and analytics teams that support the efficient delivery of services to clients.

Within our Rewards line of business, we address executive compensation and broad-based rewards. We advise our clients’ management and boards of directors on all aspects of executive pay programs, including base pay, annual bonuses, long-term incentives, perquisites and other benefits. Our focus is on aligning pay plans with an organization’s business strategy and driving desired performance. Our solutions incorporate market benchmarking data and software to support compensation administration.

Our Talent line of business focuses on the employee experience with solutions including employee insight and listening tools, talent assessment tools and services, communication and change management services and HR software to help companies administer and manage their talent management programs and analyze talent trends.

Revenue for the T&R business is partly seasonal in nature, with a meaningful amount of heightened activity in the second half of the calendar year during the annual compensation, benefits and survey cycles. While T&R enjoys long-term relationships with many clients, work in several practices is often project-based and can be sensitive to economic changes. The business benefits from regulatory changes affecting our clients that require strategic advice, program changes and communication. Additional areas of growth for T&R include the increasing focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance as a component of executive and board pay, the redefinition of jobs and career paths as technology disaggregates work, and the recalibration of pay and the employee experience amidst shifting labor markets.

Corporate Risk and Broking

The WTW Corporate Risk and Broking (‘CRB’) segment provides a broad range of risk advice, insurance brokerage and consulting services to clients worldwide ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, and places more than $25 billion of premiums into the insurance markets on an annual basis. The segment delivers integrated global solutions tailored to client needs and underpinned by data and analytics through a balanced matrix of global lines of business across all of the Company’s regions. The global lines of business as of December 31, 2021 included:

Property and Casualty — Property and Casualty provides property and liability insurance brokerage services across a wide range of industries and segments including real estate, healthcare and retail. We also arrange insurance products and services for our affinity client partners to offer to their customers, employees, or members alongside, or in addition to, their principal business offerings.

Aerospace — Aerospace provides specialist expertise to the aerospace and space industries. Our aerospace business provides insurance broking, risk management services, contractual and technical advisory expertise to aerospace clients worldwide, including the world’s leading airlines, aircraft manufacturers, air cargo handlers and other airport and general aviation companies. The specialist InSpace team is also prominent in providing insurance and risk management services to the space industry.

Construction — Our Construction business provides services that include insurance broking, claims, loss control and specialized risk advice for a wide range of construction projects and activities. Clients include contractors, project owners, public entities, project managers, consultants and financiers, among others.

Facultative — Facultative capabilities exist for each of CRB’s offerings to serve as a broker or intermediary for insurance companies seeking to arrange reinsurance solutions across various classes of risk for their clients, some of which may also be broking clients of WTW.

Financial, Executive and Professional Risks (‘FINEX’) — FINEX encompasses all financial and executive risks, delivering client solutions that range from management and professional liability, employment practices liability, crime, cyber and M&A-related insurances to risk consulting and advisory services. Specialist teams provide risk consulting and risk transfer solutions to a broad spectrum of clients across a multitude of industries, as well as the financial and professional service sectors.

Financial Solutions — Financial Solutions provides insurance broking services and specialized risk advice related to credit, surety, terrorism and political risk to clients that range from corporate to professional services firms and financial institutions including, but not limited to, banks, export credit agencies, multilaterals/development finance institutions, private equity funds and special purpose vehicles.

Marine — Marine provides specialist expertise to the maritime and logistics industries. Our Marine business provides insurance broking services related to hull and machinery, cargo, protection and indemnity, fine art and general marine liabilities, among others. Our Marine clients include, but are not limited to, ship owners and operators, shipbuilders, logistics operations, port authorities, traders, shippers, exhibitors and secure transport companies.

Natural Resources — Our Natural Resources practice encompasses the oil, gas and chemicals, mining and metals, power and utilities and renewable energy sectors. It provides sector-specific risk transfer solutions and insights, which include insurance broking, risk engineering, contractual reviews, wording analysis and claims management.

Investment, Risk and Reinsurance

For a description of our Investment, Risk and Reinsurance (‘IRR’) segment, see the link above to the 2019 Form 10-K, and see ‘Investment, Risk and Reinsurance’ within Part I, Item 1 Business in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2020. There have been no material updates to the description of our IRR segment since the 2019 Form 10-K other than the updated information provided below.

During 2021 and 2020, WTW completed divestitures of certain businesses within its IRR segment, including its Willis Re business. See Note 3 — Acquisitions and Divestitures within Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

Benefits Delivery and Administration

For a description of our Benefits Delivery and Administration (‘BDA’) segment, see the link above to the 2019 Form 10-K, and see ‘Benefits Delivery and Administration’ within Part I, Item 1 Business in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2020. There have been no material updates to the description of our BDA segment since the 2019 Form 10-K.

Human Capital

Colleague experience – Our colleague experience is an important differentiating factor for WTW. It is designed to provide interesting and meaningful work, development and recognition opportunities, foster an inclusive environment where everyone can be their authentic selves, innovate and lead in the market, provide the tools and flexibility colleagues need in how and where they do their work, help colleagues feel connected to their work and why they do it, make our processes efficient, have a continuous improvement mindset and leverage best practices, ensure managers actively engage with colleagues, assess and reward colleagues, and ensure colleagues are heard and valued.

Our values, new vision and refreshed purpose, including our new brand in 2022, set the tone for what to expect at WTW. And, our ‘grow, simplify and transform’ strategic priorities are supporting our focus on how to continually support and improve, as appropriate, our colleague experience. We evaluate process efficiencies, system upgrades and rewards offerings as well as the tradeoffs that may

be required. We further consider how we can work with flexibility in an on-going hybrid model, and fuel innovation, among other things, to continually attract, engage and retain the most accomplished and aspiring talent.

Headcount – Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate the most accomplished and aspiring talent in the industry. The number of employees by segment for the year ended December 31, 2021 is approximated below:

(i)

Approximately 1,400 colleagues provide region and account management and operational support for the HCB and CRB segments and in prior year were allocated to those segments. These colleagues have been included in Corporate and Other in 2021, consistent with our treatment of other shared resources.

The number of employees by geography as of the year ended December 31, 2021 is approximated below:

Voluntary turnover excluding seasonal employees (rolling 12-month attrition) was 15.2% in 2021 compared to 8.7% in 2020. The turnover rate for 2020 was abnormally low; pre-Covid-19 attrition typically averaged around 12.0%. The increase in attrition in 2021 compared to 2020 and 2019 was attributable, in large part, to both uncertainty associated with the planned combination with Aon, which was terminated in July, and, to a lesser extent, generally increased movement in global talent markets. The prolonged period of uncertainty introduced by the pending transaction, and continuing in the period following the termination of that transaction, drove attrition higher, particularly in certain business units where job insecurity or other uncertainty was most elevated. For example, attrition in CRB North America and Europe was elevated because the perceived risk of business divestiture needed to secure regulatory approval was high. Additionally, in Corporate where deal-related synergy savings were expected to be most concentrated, colleagues sought employment elsewhere in order to avoid role redundancy.

Hiring – Hiring in 2021 increased significantly partly due to hiring in 2020 that was deferred due to the pandemic and business conditions and partly due to increased demand for our services. Hiring and internal movement for 2021, summarized below, excludes seasonal colleagues in Tranzact and Individual Marketplace as the volumes are material and fluctuate significantly:

Hires increased 73.5% over 2020 to 7,284. Hiring growth was strong across all segments and geographies. At year-end, there were approximately 2,800 open positions, which is higher than historic rates but reflective of the sharp increase in new positions opened in the second half of the year.

During 2021, 13.9% of open positions were filled with internal candidates compared to 22.4% in 2020, the percentage drop being attributable to the significantly higher number of open positions in 2021. In addition, promotions (changes in levels) and direct appointments into new roles brought additional opportunities for career growth and advancement.

Rehires represented 13.0% of total hires in 2021.

Inclusion and Diversity (‘I&D’) – We believe that when our individual talents are combined, we unlock our collective potential. We further believe that we are better together because each of us is different. WTW aims to ensure that our values and I&D commitments are reflected in every interaction. To support this, we’re focusing on three key areas:

Attract and hire to grow our talent pipeline of colleagues from underrepresented communities

Develop and promote to increase the overall diversity in business leadership

Promote an inclusive culture that respects each other’s differences and celebrates what’s unique about each of us

A key underlying theme of these priorities is a sharpened focus on our female talent and an aspirational goal to increase gender balance in leadership levels across the Company. This focus directly supports the statement we made when we joined the Paradigm for Parity® (‘P4P’) coalition in 2016. P4P is committed to reaching gender parity in leadership by 2030.

At December 31, 2021, we had the following global female representation, and in the U.S. where we have the most complete data, we had the following ethnic and racial diversity representation:

(i)

Other non-white includes American Indian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and two or more races.

(ii)

Senior leadership represents about 5% of our colleagues and includes those with titles of Managing and Senior Directors.

As of January 1, 2022, three new independent directors joined our board of directors, with a fourth new independent director to join on April 1, 2022. This creates a further diverse board (as self-identified), of which, as of April 1, 50% will be female, including the Compensation Committee Chair. Our new board, as of that date, will also have representation from the LGBT+ community and the Black and Asian communities, and also has members with non-U.S. citizenship, including the Audit and Risk Committee Chair.

Our executive officers have I&D objectives as part of their individual performance component, comprising a portion of their short-term incentive awards. Each year our leaders cascade I&D objectives throughout the organization, and we continue to reinforce objective and fair processes that mitigate bias in all of our talent programs and processes. Examples of key activities include:

Our global I&D council, sponsored by our CEO and by our CHRO, sets the standard for our I&D initiatives globally. It is driven by regional councils that provide local perspectives and help to translate our global priorities into actions within each region.

Our inclusion networks are designed to engage our talent and better connect us to each other, our clients and the communities in which we work and live. Current inclusion networks include: Gender Equity, LGBT+, Multicultural, Workability (Asia, North America, the U.K.) and Young Professionals (Asia, the U.K., Western Europe).

Total rewards – We invest significant resources in our most important asset, our colleagues. We offer market competitive rewards packages comprising of a mix of base salary and incentives aligned to our pay-for-performance philosophy plus benefits that support health and wellbeing as well as the ability to plan for the future.

Our total rewards programs align to our commitment to colleague health and wellbeing, ensuring our people are protected in the event of accident or illness, have sufficient paid time off and can accumulate capital for personal needs and retirement. We also understand the need for flexibility in the modern workplace and provide modified work arrangements and schedules where practical (e.g., flex time, part-time, work-from-home) that enable and support colleagues to stay focused on their clients and business needs and balance their personal commitments.

COVID-19 response – In 2021, we continued to support the health and safety of colleagues by:

Monitoring and adapting both in-office operations and return-to-office approaches for colleagues across our more than 140 countries, prioritizing colleague health and safety as well as client service continuity while complying with all applicable local regulations.

Offering remote working solutions that address wellbeing, potential travel, at-home office equipment provisioning, collaboration tools and manager resources while also facilitating flexible work-life arrangements and support for home care requirements.

Monitoring colleague feedback on our response to the pandemic. Our November 2021 all-colleague pulse survey showed strong support for our efforts with over 90% of respondents feeling connected to their teams in an inclusive environment and able to effectively work in a hybrid work model.

Rethinking how colleagues work (both independently and collaboratively, now and in the future), focusing on the evolving role our offices play. The outcome of this work has been the development of a new work styles model that supports colleagues who are office-based, home-based or a hybrid of the two. For our hybrid colleagues, we are extending a greater level of autonomy over where and how they do their work. Our belief is that colleagues know their work and the people, tools and environment they need to be successful. Therefore, to the extent that role, geography and/or any regulations allow, how and where a colleague works will be determined by the work itself, not arbitrary rules to simply be in the office.

The failure to successfully attract and retain qualified personnel could materially adversely affect our results of operations and prospects. For more information see Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors of this Form 10-K.

Competition

For a description of our competition, see the link above to the 2019 Form 10-K, and see ‘Competition’ within Part I, Item 1 Business in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2020.

Regulation

Our business activities are subject to legal requirements and governmental and quasi-governmental regulatory supervision in all countries in which we operate. Also, such regulations may require individual or company licensing to conduct our business activities. While these requirements may vary from location to location, they are generally designed to protect our clients by establishing minimum standards of conduct and practice, particularly regarding the provision of advice and product information, as well as financial criteria. We are also subject to data privacy regulations in many countries. Our most significant regulatory regions are described below:

United States

Our activities in connection with insurance brokerage services within the U.S. are subject to regulation and supervision by state authorities. Although the scope of regulation and form of supervision may vary from state to state, insurance laws in the United States are often complex and generally grant broad discretion to supervisory authorities in adopting regulations and supervising regulated activities. That supervision generally includes the licensing of insurance brokers and agents and the regulation of the handling and investment of client funds held in a fiduciary capacity. Our continuing ability to provide insurance brokerage in the states in which we currently operate is dependent upon our compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the regulatory authorities in each of these states. Additionally, some of our private exchange activities, including our TRANZACT business which focuses on direct-to-consumer Medicare policy sales, are overseen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Furthermore, certain of our activities are subject to regulation under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (‘HIPAA’), which is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Health and Human Services. As we implement and expand our direct-to-consumer sales and marketing solutions through our Benefits Delivery and Administration business, we are subject to various federal and state laws and regulations that prescribe when and how we may market to consumers (including, without limitation, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and other telemarketing laws and the Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines issued by the Center for Medicare Services).

Certain of our activities are governed by other regulatory bodies, such as investment and securities licensing authorities. Our activities in connection with investment services within the United States are subject to regulation and supervision at both the federal and state levels. At the federal level, certain of our operating subsidiaries are regulated by the SEC through the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers’ Act of 1940 and by the Department of Labor through the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA. In connection with the SEC regulations, we are required to file certain reports, and are subject to various marketing restrictions, among other requirements. In connection with ERISA regulations, we are limited in the actions we can take for plans for which we serve as fiduciaries, among other matters. Our U.S. investment activities are also subject to certain state regulatory schemes, and some activities also are subject to regulation by the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission under the Commodities Exchange Act.

Our Willis Re Securities business, which was sold to Gallagher in December 2021, operated through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Willis Securities, Inc., a U.S.-registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC, primarily in connection with advising on alternative risk financing transactions and investment banking services.

Our activities in connection with Third Party Administrator (‘TPA’) services in the United States are also subject to regulation and supervision by many state authorities. Licensing requirements and supervision vary from state to state. As with insurance brokerage services, our continuing ability to provide these services in states that regulate our activities is dependent upon our compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated from time to time by the regulatory authorities in each of these states.

United Kingdom

In the U.K., our business is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’).

The FCA has a sole strategic objective: to ensure that the relevant markets function well. Its operational objectives are to secure an appropriate degree of protection for consumers, to protect and enhance the integrity of the U.K. financial system, and to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers. The FCA has a wide range of rule-making, investigatory and enforcement powers (including the power to censure and fine) and conducts monitoring visits to assess our compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition, the FCA extended the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (‘SMCR’) which became effective on December 9, 2019 in relation to our U.K. FCA-regulated businesses. The SMCR is designed to drive improvements in culture and governance within financial services firms and to deter misconduct by increasing individual accountability to the FCA. WTW is also subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) subsequent to Brexit.

Brexit will generally cause an increase in regulations that are specific to the U.K. and will result in differences from the regulatory requirements of the E.U. See Item 1A Risk Factors, for a description of Brexit-related risks to the Company.

Furthermore, as a result of Brexit, the WTW Brexit broking solution (the U.K. Branch of Willis Towers Watson SA/NV) will be required to seek authorization from the FCA as a third country branch. This application for full authorization is due for submission by March 31, 2022 and, once approved by the FCA, will result in an increase in FCA supervision in the future with additional requirements for the branch in key areas such as SMCR.

European Union

In 2005, the European Union Insurance Mediation Directive introduced rules to enable insurance and reinsurance intermediaries to operate and provide services within each member state of the E.U. on a basis consistent with the E.U. single market and customer protection aims. Each E.U. member state in which we operate is required to ensure that the insurance and reinsurance intermediaries resident in their country are registered with a statutory body in that country and that each intermediary meets professional requirements in relation to their competence, good repute, professional indemnity cover and financial capacity. The E.U. issued a new Insurance Distribution Directive that expands the 2005 directive, and all E.U. member states in which we operate were required to enact the directive and adopt local country laws by October 1, 2018.

The ‘Whistleblower Protection Directive’, on the protection of persons who report breaches of E.U. law, entered into force on December 16, 2019 (Directive 2019/1937). This Directive includes reporting procedures for these persons. The new rules will require the creation of safe channels for reporting both within an organization - private or public - and to public authorities. They will also provide protection to whistleblowers against retaliation.

In addition, our Willis Re Securities business, which was sold to Gallagher in December 2021, provided advice on securities or investments in the European Union and Australia through our U.K. wholly-owned subsidiary, Willis Towers Watson Securities Europe Limited, which is authorized and regulated by the FCA.

WTW is also subject to the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’), which became effective in May 2018. The GDPR is a comprehensive regime that significantly increases our responsibilities when handling personal data, including, without limitation, requiring us to conduct privacy impact assessments, restricting the transmission of data and requiring public disclosure of significant data breaches.

Other

Certain of our entities that undertake pension scheme management are subject to MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) and MiFIR (the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation). In addition, revisions to MiFID (‘MiFID II’) took effect in January 2018. These revisions are aimed at strengthening investor protection and improving the function of financial markets. MiFID II imposes a variety of requirements that include, among others, rules relating to product governance and independent investment advice, responsibility of management bodies, inducements, information and reporting to clients, cross-selling, remuneration of staff, and best execution of trades for clients. Further, some of our entities are also authorized and regulated by certain financial services authorities in countries such as Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and the U.K.

All companies carrying on similar activities in a given jurisdiction are subject to regulations which are not dissimilar to the requirements for our operations in the U.S. and U.K. We do not consider these regulatory requirements as adversely affecting our competitive position.

Across most jurisdictions we are subject to various data privacy laws and regulations that apply to health, medical, financial and other types of personal information belonging to our clients, their employees and third parties, as well as our own employees. For example, China is a jurisdiction where a comprehensive Personal Information Protection Law (‘PIPL’) has recently been enacted, and our local entity is subject to this regulation.

Across many jurisdictions we are subject to various financial crime laws and regulations through our activities, activities of associated persons, the products and services we provide and our business and client relationships. Such laws and regulations relate to, among other areas, sanctions and export control, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist financing.

Our failure, or that of our employees, to satisfy the regulatory compliance requirements or the legal requirements governing our activities, can result in disciplinary action, fines, reputational damage and financial harm.

See Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors for an analysis of how actions by regulatory authorities or changes in legislation and regulation, including Brexit, in the jurisdictions in which we operate may have an adverse effect on our business.

Information about Executive Officers of the Registrant

The executive officers of the Company as of February 24, 2022 were as follows:

Kristy D. Banas (age 50) - Ms. Banas has served as Chief Human Resources Officer since August 16, 2021. Prior to that, she served as the Senior Director, Global Talent Advisor for Human Capital & Benefits from March 2019 to August 2021. She also served as Senior Director and Head of Global Total Rewards, HR Integration and the HR Business Office from November 2016 to March 2019. From January 2016 to November 2016, Ms. Banas served as Senior Director and Global HR Leader, WTW Operations and Technology. From July 2011 to January 2016, Ms. Banas served as Senior Vice President, Global HR Director for WTW Corporate Functions, and was the Executive HR Sponsor for Global Operations Improvement. Ms. Banas was Vice President and Global HR Partner with XL Capital/ XL Global Services / XL Insurance from November 2001 to June 2011. Ms. Banas has a BS in Business Management from Fairfield University and a partial MS in Human Resource Management from the University of Connecticut.

Anne D. Bodnar (age 65) - Ms. Bodnar has served as Chief Administrative Officer at WTW since May 31, 2019 and also served as Chief Human Resources Officer from January 4, 2016 through August 16, 2021. Previously, Ms. Bodnar served on Towers Watson’s Management Committee since January 2015 and as Towers Watson’s Chief Administrative Officer since January 1, 2010. Ms. Bodnar previously served as Managing Director of HR at Towers Perrin beginning in 2001. From 1995 to 2000, Ms. Bodnar led Towers Perrin’s recruiting and learning and development efforts. Prior to that, she was a strategy consultant in Towers Perrin’s Human Capital business. Earlier in her career, Ms. Bodnar held several operational and strategic planning roles at what is now JPMorgan Chase. Ms. Bodnar graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College and has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Matthew S. Furman (age 52) - Mr. Furman has served as General Counsel at WTW since January 4, 2016. Previously, Mr. Furman served as Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel at Willis Group Holdings, where he was a member of the Operating Committee since April 2015. From 2007 until March 2015, Mr. Furman was Senior Vice President, Group General Counsel-Corporate and Governance, and Corporate Secretary for The Travelers Companies, Inc. From 2000 until 2007, Mr. Furman was an attorney at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York, where he was Vice President and Associate General Counsel in the finance and corporate legal group. Prior to that, he was in private practice, with almost six years’ experience at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York. Mr. Furman also serves as a Trustee of the Jewish Theological Seminary and a Director of the Legal Aid Society. He previously served as a member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee, where he served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Market Structure Subcommittee. He holds a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Brown University and a law degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Adam L. Garrard (age 56) - Mr. Garrard has served as Head of Corporate Risk and Broking, and International since August 14, 2019. Prior to that, he served as Head of International at WTW since January 4, 2016. Previously, Mr. Garrard served as Chief Executive Officer for Willis Group Holdings in Asia since September 2012. Prior to that, Mr. Garrard served as Chief Executive Officer for Willis in Europe since January 2009, Chief Executive Officer for Willis in Australasia since May 2005 and Chief Executive Officer for Asia since January 2002. Mr. Garrard has resided in Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and London while undertaking his Chief Executive Officer roles. After graduating from De Montfort University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1992, Mr. Garrard joined SBJ Stephenson Insurance Brokers before joining Willis in 1994.

Julie J. Gebauer (age 60) - Ms. Gebauer has served as Head of Health, Wealth and Career at WTW since January 1, 2022. Previously, Ms. Gebauer served as Head of Human Capital & Benefits at WTW since January 4, 2016 and, prior to that, as Managing Director of Towers Watson’s Talent and Rewards business segment since January 1, 2010. Beginning in 2002, Ms. Gebauer served as a Managing Director of Towers Perrin and led Towers Perrin’s global Workforce Effectiveness practice and the global Towers Perrin-International Survey Research Corporation line of business. Ms. Gebauer was a member of Towers Perrin’s Board of Directors from 2003 through 2006. She joined Towers Perrin in 1986 as a consultant and held several leadership positions at Towers Perrin, serving as the Managing Principal for the New York office from 1999 to 2001 and the U.S. East Region Leader for the Human Capital Group from 2002 to 2006. Ms. Gebauer is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Ms. Gebauer graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with high distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and was designated a Chancellor’s Scholar.

Carl A. Hess (age 60) - Mr. Hess has served as Chief Executive Officer at WTW since January 1, 2022 and, prior to that, served as President since August 16, 2021. Mr. Hess was formerly Head of Investment, Risk and Reinsurance from October 27, 2016 to August 16, 2021. Previously, Mr. Hess served as the Co-Head of North America at WTW since January 4, 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Hess served as Managing Director, The Americas of Towers Watson since February 1, 2014, and before that, he served as the Managing Director of Towers Watson’s Investment business since January 1, 2010. Before his service at Towers Watson, Mr. Hess worked in a variety of roles for over 20 years at Watson Wyatt, lastly as Global Practice Director of Watson Wyatt’s Investment business. Mr. Hess is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst. He has a bachelor’s degree cum laude in logic and language from Yale University.

Andrew J. Krasner (age 46) - Mr. Krasner has served as Chief Financial Officer at WTW since September 7, 2021. From February 2021 to August 2021, Mr. Krasner served as Chief Financial Officer for Assured Partners. From June 2018 to January 2021, Mr. Krasner was Global Treasurer and Head of M&A of WTW, and from 2012 to June 2018, was Head of M&A, responsible for the Company’s Treasury operations and M&A, joint venture, divestiture, and strategic investment activity. Mr. Krasner started with Legacy Willis in June 2009 as Senior Vice President, working on the client side with Willis Capital Markets & Advisory between June 2009 to June 2012. Prior to joining WTW, Mr. Krasner was a Principal with Banc of America Securities from October 2003 to June 2009, an Associate with Deutsche Bank from July 2002 to October 2003 and a Senior Associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers from August 1997 to August 2000. Mr. Krasner has a B.S. degree in applied economics and business management and an M.B.A. with distinction from Cornell University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Anne Pullum (age 39) - Ms. Pullum has served as Head of Europe at WTW since August 30, 2021 and, prior to that, as Head of Western Europe from May 31, 2019 to August 30, 2021. Previously, she served as the Chief Administrative Officer and Head of Strategy and Innovation since October 27, 2016. Beginning on January 4, 2016, Ms. Pullum served as WTW’s Head of Strategy, where she has played a key role in determining the Company’s strategy and worked across all business segments and functional areas. Previously, Ms. Pullum served as the Head of Strategy for Willis Group since May 2014. Before joining Willis, Ms. Pullum worked at McKinsey & Company, where she served financial services and natural resource clients since October 2010. Prior to that, Ms. Pullum conducted economic research at Greenspan Associates in Washington, D.C. and served as an analyst in the Goldman Sachs Equities Division in London. Ms. Pullum holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD and a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Imran Qureshi (age 51) - Mr. Qureshi has served as Head of North America at WTW since August 30, 2021. Prior to that, he served as the Co-Leader, U.S. from February 2017 to August 30, 2021. He also chaired the North American Inclusion & Diversity Council during this time. He served as Region Leader, U.S. Midwest from February 2017 to October 2019, and was Market Leader, Greater Chicago and Wisconsin from February 2016 to February 2017. Mr. Qureshi was Managing Consultant of the Chicago office from January 2013 to January 2016, and has been with WTW in other roles since March 1999. Mr. Qureshi is currently a board director at The Executives' Club of Chicago. Previously, he was the board chair of the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago, and he served on the M&A Faculty of WorldatWork where he taught M&A and taught the International Benefits Course for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. In 2004, Mr. Qureshi was honored by Business Insurance magazine as one of “40 Under 40 People to Watch” in the commercial insurance and risk/benefits management services industries. He also has lectured on governance and globalization at The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Mr. Qureshi holds a bachelor’s degree in pure mathematics and statistics with honors from the University of Manchester in the U.K. and has an actuarial background.

Gene H. Wickes (age 69) - Mr. Wickes has served as the Head of Benefits Delivery and Administration at WTW since April 1, 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Wickes served as an Executive Sponsor of the combined WTW Merger integration team since January 4, 2016. Previously, he served as the Managing Director of the Benefits business segment of Towers Watson from January 1, 2010 until the closing of the WTW merger. Prior to that, he served as the Global Director of the Benefits practice of Watson Wyatt beginning in 2005 and as a member of Watson Wyatt’s Board of Directors from 2002 to 2007. Mr. Wickes was Watson Wyatt’s Global Retirement Practice Director in 2004 and the U.S. West Division’s Retirement Practice Leader from 1997 to 2004. Mr. Wickes joined Watson Wyatt in 1996 as a senior consultant and consulting actuary. Prior to joining Watson Wyatt, he spent 18 years with Towers Perrin, where he assisted organizations with welfare, retirement, and executive benefit issues. Mr. Wickes is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, and he has a B.S. in mathematics and economics, an M.S. in mathematics and an M.S. in economics, all from Brigham Young University.

Board of Directors

A list of the members of the Board of Directors of the Company and their principal occupations is provided below:

Executive Summary of Risk Factors

The following contains a summary of each of our risk factors. For the complete disclosure of each risk factor contained herein, please click on the respective summary.

Strategic, Operational and Technology Risks

Our success largely depends on our ability to achieve our global business strategy as it evolves, and our results of operations and financial condition could suffer if the Company were unable to successfully establish and execute on its strategy and generate anticipated revenue growth and cost savings and efficiencies.

We may not be able to fully realize the anticipated benefits of our growth strategy.

We have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and may be substantially and negatively impacted by it in the future.

The sale of Willis Re to Gallagher, including transitional arrangements and pending transactions, creates incremental business, operational, regulatory and reputational risks.

Demand for our services could decrease for various reasons, including a general economic downturn, increased competition, or a decline in a client’s or an industry’s financial condition or prospects, all of which could materially adversely affect us.

Our ability to successfully manage ongoing organizational changes could impact our business results, where the level of costs and/or disruption may be significant and change over time, and the benefits may be less than we originally expect.

Changes in our management structure and in senior leadership could affect our business and financial results.

The loss of key colleagues or a large number of colleagues could damage or result in the loss of client relationships and could result in such colleagues competing against us.

Data security breaches or improper disclosure of confidential company or personal data could result in material financial loss, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.

From time to time, we receive claims and are party to lawsuits arising from our work, which could materially adversely affect our reputation, business and financial condition.

As a highly regulated company, we are subject from time to time to inquiries or investigations by governmental agencies or regulators that could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Our growth strategy depends, in part, on our ability to make acquisitions. We face risks when we acquire or divest businesses, and we could have difficulty in acquiring, integrating or managing acquired businesses, or with effecting internal reorganizations, all of which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation.

Our inability to successfully recover should we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem could cause material financial loss, loss of human capital, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.

Interruption to or loss of our information processing capabilities or failure to effectively maintain and upgrade our information processing hardware or systems could cause material financial loss, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.

The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, which occurred on January 31, 2020, and the risk that other countries may follow, could adversely affect us.

Allegations of conflicts of interest, including in connection with accepting market derived income (‘MDI’), may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation or reputation.

Damage to our reputation, including due to the failure of third parties on whom we rely to perform services or public opinions of third parties with whom we associate, could adversely affect our businesses.

Our business performance and growth plans could be negatively affected if we are not able to effectively apply technology, data and analytics to drive value for our clients through technology-based solutions or gain internal efficiencies through the effective application of technology, analytics and related tools.

Our business may be harmed by any negative developments that may occur in the insurance industry or if we fail to maintain good relationships with insurance carriers.

Legal, Non-Financial/Tax Regulatory and Compliance Risks

Our inability to comply with complex and evolving laws and regulations related to data privacy and cyber security could result in material financial loss, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.

In conducting our businesses around the world, we are subject to political, economic, legal, regulatory, cultural, market, operational and other risks that are inherent in operating in many countries.

Sanctions imposed by governments, or changes to such sanction regulations (such as sanctions imposed on Russia), and related counter-sanctions, could have a material adverse impact on our operations or financial results.

Our business will be negatively affected if we are not able to anticipate and keep pace with rapid changes in government laws or regulations, or if government laws or regulations decrease the need for our services or increase our costs.

Our compliance systems and controls cannot guarantee that we comply with all applicable federal and state or foreign laws and regulations, and actions by regulatory authorities or changes in applicable laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate could have an adverse effect on our business.

Changes and developments in the health insurance system in the United States could harm our business.

Limited protection of our intellectual property could harm our business and our ability to compete effectively, and we face the risk that our services or products may infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others.

The laws of Ireland differ from the laws in effect in the United States and may afford less protection to holders of our securities.

Financial and Related Regulatory, Including Tax, Risks

We have material pension liabilities that can fluctuate significantly and adversely affect our financial position or net income or result in other financial impacts.

Our outstanding debt could adversely affect our cash flows and financial flexibility, and we may not be able to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all.

A downgrade to our corporate credit rating and the credit ratings of our outstanding debt may adversely affect our borrowing costs and financial flexibility and, under certain circumstances, may require us to offer to buy back some of our outstanding debt.

If a U.S. person is treated as owning at least 10% of our shares, such a holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

Legislative or regulatory action or developments in case law in the U.S. or elsewhere could have a material adverse impact on our worldwide effective corporate tax rate.

Our significant non-U.S. operations, particularly our London market operations, expose us to exchange rate fluctuations and various other risks that could impact our business.

Changes in accounting principles or in our accounting estimates and assumptions could negatively affect our financial position and results of operations.

Our quarterly revenue and cash flow could fluctuate, including as a result of factors outside of our control, while our expenses may remain relatively fixed or be higher than expected.

[Increasing scrutiny and changing expectations from investors, clients and our colleague

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None.

We operate offices in many countries throughout the world and believe that our properties are generally suitable and adequate for the purposes for which they are used. The principal properties are located in the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition, we have other offices in various locations, including among others, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Operations of each of our segments are carried out in owned or leased offices under operating leases that typically do not exceed 10 years in length, except for certain properties in key locations. We do not anticipate difficulty in meeting our space needs at lease expiration.

From time to time, we are party to various lawsuits, arbitrations or mediations that arise in the ordinary course of business. The disclosure called for by Item 3 regarding our legal proceedings is incorporated by reference herein from Note 15 — Commitments and Contingencies, within Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Not applicable.

PART II.

Share Data

Our ordinary shares trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol ‘WTW’ as of January 10, 2022. Our ordinary shares previously traded under the symbol ‘WLTW’ starting on January 5, 2016. As of February 18, 2022, there were 1,118 shareholders of record of our shares.

Dividends

We normally pay dividends on a quarterly basis to shareholders of record on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31. In February 2022, the board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.82 per share ($3.28 per share annualized rate), which will be paid on or around April 15, 2022 to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2022.

There are no governmental laws, decrees or regulations in Ireland that restrict the remittance of dividends or other payments to non-resident holders of the Company’s shares.

In circumstances where one of Ireland’s many exemptions from dividend withholding tax (‘DWT’) does not apply, dividends paid by the Company will be subject to Irish DWT (currently 20 percent). Residents of the United States should be exempt from Irish DWT provided relevant documentation supporting the exemption has been put in place. While the U.S.-Ireland Double Tax Treaty contains provisions reducing the rate of Irish DWT in prescribed circumstances, it should generally be unnecessary for U.S. residents to rely on the provisions of this treaty due to the wide scope of exemptions from Irish DWT available under Irish domestic law. Irish income tax may also arise in respect of dividends paid by the Company. However, U.S. residents entitled to an exemption from Irish DWT generally have no Irish income tax liability on dividends.

With respect to non-corporate U.S. shareholders, certain dividends from a qualified foreign corporation may be subject to reduced rates of taxation. A foreign corporation is treated as a qualified foreign corporation with respect to dividends received from that corporation on shares that are readily tradeable on an established securities market in the United States, such as our shares. Non-corporate U.S. shareholders that do not meet a minimum holding period requirement for our shares during which they are not protected from the risk of loss or that elect to treat the dividend income as investment income pursuant to section 163(d)(4) of the Code will not be eligible for the reduced rates of taxation regardless of our status as a qualified foreign corporation. In addition, the rate reduction will not apply to dividends if the recipient of a dividend is obligated to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. This disallowance applies even if the minimum holding period has been met. U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of these rules given their particular circumstances.

Total Shareholder Return

The graph below depicts cumulative total shareholder returns for WTW for the period from December 31, 2016 through December 31, 2021.

The graph also depicts the total return for the S&P 500 and for a peer group for WTW comprised of Accenture plc, Aon plc, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Brown & Brown Inc., Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. and Robert Half International Inc. The graph charts the performance of $100 invested on the initial date indicated, December 31, 2016, assuming full dividend reinvestment.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

During the year ended December 31, 2021, no shares were issued by the Company without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

The Company is authorized to repurchase shares, by way of redemption, and will consider whether to do so from time to time, based on many factors, including market conditions. Since April 20, 2016, when the WTW board reconfirmed, reapproved and reauthorized the remaining $529 million portion of the Legacy Willis program to repurchase the Company’s ordinary shares on the open market or by way of redemption or otherwise, the following additional authorizations have occurred:

November 10, 2016 — the Company announced that the board of directors approved an additional authorization of $1.0 billion.

February 23, 2018 — the Company announced that the board of directors approved an additional authorization of $400 million.

February 26, 2020 — the Company announced that the board of directors approved an additional authorization of $251 million.

July 26, 2021 — the Company announced that the board of directors approved an additional authorization of $1.0 billion.

September 16, 2021 — the Company announced that the board of directors approved an additional authorization of $4.0 billion.

There are no expiration dates for these repurchase plans or programs. The following table presents specified information about the Company’s repurchases of ordinary shares in the fourth quarter and the Company’s repurchase authority.

At December 31, 2021, the maximum number of shares that may be purchased under the existing stock repurchase program is 16,306,580, with approximately $3.9 billion remaining on the current open-ended repurchase authority granted by the board. An estimate of the maximum number of shares under the existing authorities was determined using the closing price of our ordinary shares on December 31, 2021 of $237.49.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

For information on our securities authorized for issuance under our existing equity compensation plans, see ‘Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans’ in our proxy statement filed with the SEC.

This discussion includes forward-looking statements. See ‘Disclaimer Regarding Forward-looking Statements’ for certain cautionary information regarding forward-looking statements and Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors for a list of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in those statements.

This discussion includes references to non-GAAP financial measures as defined in the rules of the SEC. We present such non-GAAP financial measures, specifically, adjusted, constant currency and organic non-GAAP financial measures, as we believe such information is of interest to the investment community because it provides additional meaningful methods of evaluating certain aspects of the Company’s operating performance from period to period on a basis that may not be otherwise apparent under U.S. GAAP, and these provide a measure against which our businesses may be assessed in the future.

Our methods of calculating these measures may differ from those used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. These financial measures should be viewed in addition to, not in lieu of, the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021.

See ‘Non-GAAP Financial Measures’ below for further discussion of our adjusted, constant currency and organic non-GAAP financial measures.

Executive Overview

Market Conditions

Typically, our business benefits from regulatory change, political risk or economic uncertainty. Insurance broking generally tracks the economy, but demand for both insurance broking and consulting services usually remains steady during times of uncertainty. We have some businesses, such as our health and benefits and administration businesses, which can be counter cyclical during the early period of a significant economic change.

Within our insurance and brokerage business, due to the cyclical nature of the insurance market and the impact of other market conditions on insurance premiums, commission revenue may vary widely between accounting periods. A period of low or declining premium rates, generally known as a ‘soft’ or ‘softening’ market, generally leads to downward pressure on commission revenue and can have a material adverse impact on our revenue and operating margin. A ‘hard’ or ‘firming’ market, during which premium rates rise, generally has a favorable impact on our revenue and operating margin. Rates, however, vary by geography, industry and client segment. As a result, and due to the global and diverse nature of our business, we view rates in the aggregate. Overall, we are currently seeing a modest but definite increase in pricing in the market.

Market conditions in the broking industry in which we operate are generally defined by factors such as the strength of the economies in the various geographic regions in which we serve around the world, insurance rate movements, and insurance and reinsurance buying patterns of our clients.

The markets for our consulting, technology and solutions, and marketplace services are affected by economic, regulatory and legislative changes, technological developments, and increased competition from established and new competitors. We believe that the primary factors in selecting a human resources or risk management consulting firm include reputation, the ability to provide measurable increases to shareholder value and return on investment, global scale, quality of service and the ability to tailor services to clients’ unique needs. In that regard, we are focused on developing and implementing technology, data and analytic solutions for both internal operations and for maintaining industry standards and meeting client preferences. We have made such investments from time to time and may decide, based on perceived business needs, to make investments in the future that may be different from past practice or what we currently anticipate.

With regard to the market for exchanges, we believe that clients base their decisions on a variety of factors that include the ability of the provider to deliver measurable cost savings for clients, a strong reputation for efficient execution and an innovative service delivery model and platform. Part of the employer-sponsored insurance market has matured and become more fragmented while other segments remain in the entry phase. As these market segments continue to evolve, we may experience growth in intervals, with periods of accelerated expansion balanced by periods of modest growth. In recent years, growth in the market for exchanges has slowed, and we expect this trend may continue.

From time to time, including but not limited to the period after the announcement of the proposed Aon combination through the period that has followed the termination of the proposed combination, we have lost (and may in the future continue to lose) colleagues who manage substantial client relationships or possess substantial experience or expertise; when we lose colleagues such as those, it often results in such colleagues competing against us. Further, the full impact of this competition may be delayed due to the timing of restrictive covenants or client renewals. We believe that this dynamic, which was most pronounced in our Corporate Risk and Broking

segment in the second and third quarters of 2021, has caused the segment’s near-term growth rates in the fourth quarter and expected into 2022 to be meaningfully slower than other competitors. This dynamic may be difficult to predict, given that the adverse impact in future periods is more significant than in the periods in which employees departed. Growth may also be adversely affected by the fact that 2021 performance in a number of businesses, particularly commercial risk broking and health & benefits broking, benefited from revenue from book sales, which is non-repeatable revenue. It is possible that growth could be different than expected and our results of operations could be significantly and adversely impacted.

See Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for discussions of risks that may affect our ability to compete.

Brexit

Following the occurrence of Brexit and the end of the formal transition period on December 31, 2020, a trade agreement has been established between the U.K. and E.U. As expected, the agreement largely addressed goods and not services, and the Company has therefore completed the establishment of appropriate arrangements for the continued servicing of client business in all relevant E.U. countries. Further negotiations between the U.K. and E.U. resulted in the agreement of a Memorandum of Understanding to address matters related to financial services, though the outcome of future engagement between the U.K. and E.U. in relation to services, including financial services and potential impact on the Company, are not yet fully known. For a further discussion of the risks of Brexit to the Company, see Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Although approximately 18% of our revenue from continuing operations is generated in the U.K. on an annual basis, about 12% of revenue from continuing operations is denominated in Pounds sterling, as much of the insurance business is transacted in U.S. dollars. Approximately 18% of our expenses from continuing operations is denominated in Pounds sterling, thus we generally benefit from a weakening Pound sterling in our income from continuing operations. However, we have a Company hedging strategy for this aspect of our business, which is designed to mitigate significant fluctuations in currency.

Risks and Uncertainties of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Related Economic Environment

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on global commercial activity, particularly on the global supply chain and workforce availability, and has contributed to significant volatility in the global financial markets including, among other effects, oc

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Financial Risk Management

We are exposed to market risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates. In order to manage the risk arising from these exposures, we enter into a variety of foreign currency derivatives. We do not hold financial or derivative instruments for trading purposes.

A discussion of our accounting policies for financial and derivative instruments is included in Note 2 — Basis of Presentation, Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements and Note 10 — Derivative Financial Instruments within Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Foreign Exchange Risk

Because of the large number of countries and currencies we operate in, movements in currency exchange rates may affect our results.

We report our operating results and financial condition in U.S. dollars. Our U.S. operations earn revenue and incur expenses primarily in U.S. dollars. Outside the U.S., we predominantly generate revenue and expenses in the local currency with the exception of our London market operations which earn revenue in several currencies but incur expenses predominantly in Pounds sterling.

The table below gives an approximate analysis of revenue and expenses from continuing operations by currency in 2021.

(i)

These percentages exclude certain expenses for significant items which will not be settled in cash, or which we believe to be items that are not core to our current or future operations. These items include amortization of intangible assets and transaction and integration, net.

Our principal exposures to foreign exchange risk arise from:

our London market operations;

intercompany lending between subsidiaries; and

translation.

London market operations

The Company’s primary foreign exchange risks in its London market operations arise from changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and Pound sterling as its London market operations earn the majority of its revenue in U.S. dollars but incur expenses predominantly in Pounds sterling and may also hold significant foreign currency asset or liability positions on its consolidated balance sheet. In addition, the London market operations earn significant revenue in Euro and Japanese yen.

The foreign exchange risks in our London market operations are hedged to the extent that:

forecasted Pounds sterling expenses exceed Pounds sterling revenue, in which case the Company limits its exposure to this exchange rate risk by the use of forward contracts matched to a portion of the forecasted Pounds sterling outflows arising in the ordinary course of business. In addition, we are also exposed to foreign exchange risk on any net Pounds sterling asset or liability position in our London market operations; and

the U.K. operations also earn significant revenue in Euro and Japanese yen. The Company limits its exposure to changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and these currencies by the use of foreign exchange contracts matched to a proportion of forecast cash inflows in these specific currencies and periods.

Intercompany lending between subsidiaries

The Company engages in intercompany borrowing and lending between subsidiaries, primarily through our in-house banking operations which give rise to foreign exchange exposures. The Company mitigates these risks through the use of short-term foreign currency forward and swap transactions that offset the underlying exposure created when the borrower and lender have different functional currencies. These derivatives are not generally designated as hedging instruments and at December 31, 2021 we had notional amounts of $2.9 billion (denominated primarily in U.S. dollars, Pound sterling, Euro and Australian dollars), with a net asset fair value of $15 million. Such derivatives typically mature within three months.

Translation risk

Outside our U.S. and London market operations, we predominantly earn revenue and incur expenses in the local currency. When we translate the results and net assets of these operations into U.S. dollars for reporting purposes, movements in exchange rates will affect reported results and net assets. For example, if the U.S. dollar strengthens against the Euro, the reported results of our Eurozone operations in U.S. dollar terms will be lower.

The table below provides information about our foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are sensitive to exchange rate risk. The table summarizes the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts of each currency bought and sold forward and the weighted-average contractual exchange rates. All forward exchange contracts mature within two years.

(i)

Represents the difference between the contract amount and the cash flow in U.S. dollars which would have been receivable had the foreign currency forward exchange contracts been entered into on December 31, 2021 at the forward exchange rates prevailing at that date.

Income earned within foreign subsidiaries outside of the U.K. is generally offset by expenses in the same local currency, however the Company does have exposure to foreign exchange movements on the net income of these entities.

Interest Rate Risk

The Company has access to $1.5 billion under a newly-amended and restated revolving credit facility (see Note 11 — Debt within Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information). As of December 31, 2021, no amount was drawn on this facility. We are also subject to market risk from exposure to changes in interest rates based on our investing activities where our primary interest rate risk arises from changes in short-term interest rates in U.S. dollars, Pounds sterling and Euros.

The table below provides information about our financial instruments that are sensitive to changes in interest rates. The Company had no outstanding floating rate-based debt at December 31, 2021.

(i)

Represents the net present value of the expected cash flows discounted at current market rates of interest or quoted market rates as appropriate.

Interest Income on Fiduciary Funds

As a result of our operating activities, we receive cash for premiums and claims which we deposit in short-term investments denominated in U.S. dollars and other currencies. We earn interest on these funds, which is included in our consolidated financial statements as interest income. These funds are regulated in terms of access and the instruments in which they may be invested, most of which are short-term in maturity. At December 31, 2021, we held $1.9 billion of fiduciary funds invested in interest-bearing accounts.

If short-term interest rates increased or decreased by 25 basis points, interest earned on these invested fiduciary funds, and therefore our interest income recognized, would increase or decrease by approximately $5 million on an annualized basis.

LIBOR-Related Debt Instruments

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority, the authority that regulates LIBOR, announced its intention to phase out LIBOR as a benchmark rate by the end of 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (‘ARRC’), a group of private-market participants convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to help ensure a successful transition from U.S. dollar LIBOR (‘USD-LIBOR’) to a more robust reference rate, has proposed that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (‘SOFR’) represents the best alternative to USD-LIBOR for use in derivatives and other financial contracts that are currently indexed to USD-LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a transition plan with specific steps and timelines designed to encourage the adoption of SOFR and guide the transition to SOFR from USD-LIBOR. Organizations are currently working on industry-wide and company-specific transition plans related to derivatives and cash markets exposed to USD-LIBOR. Similar efforts are underway to identify suitable replacement reference rates for LIBOR in other major currencies.

Subsequently, on March 5, 2021, ICE Benchmark Administration (‘IBA’) stated that as a result of its not having access to input data necessary to calculate LIBOR settings on a representative basis beyond the intended cessation dates as set forth below, it would have to cease publication of all 35 LIBOR settings immediately after December 31, 2021 for all GBP-, EUR-, CHF- and JPY-LIBOR settings as well as 1-week and 2-month USD-LIBOR settings. Effective after June 30, 2023, IBA will cease publishing overnight and 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-month USD-LIBOR settings.

Prior to October, 2021, the Company’s primary exposure was its $1.25 billion revolving credit facility which was then replaced with a new $1.5 billion revolving credit facility which contains appropriate LIBOR replacement language, as described in Note 11, Debt – Revolving Credit Facility within Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Additionally, the Company repaid and closed its collateralized facility during November 2021, as described in Note 11, Debt – Collateralized Facility within Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. On January 1, 2022, the Company made changes to its LIBOR-based intercompany notes, and following this change, none of the Company’s impacted debt instruments are currently linked to LIBOR, thus minimizing the Company’s exposure to known risks related to the transition from LIBOR to alternative rates.

We have updated our Treasury workstation software to implement the new benchmarks and continue to monitor the LIBOR-related risks that may be inherent elsewhere in our business and are monitoring further proposals and guidance from the ARRC and other alternative-rate initiatives. While it is currently uncertain whether SOFR or another reference rate will be selected as the alternative to LIBOR, or whether other reforms will be enacted in response to the planned transition, we will make the appropriate changes when necessary.

Credit Risk and Concentrations of Credit Risk

Credit risk represents the loss that would be recognized at the reporting date if counterparties failed to perform as contracted. The Company currently does not anticipate non-performance by its counterparties. The Company generally does not require collateral or other security to support financial instruments with credit risk.

Concentrations of credit risk that arise from financial instruments exist for groups of customers or counterparties when they have similar economic characteristics that would cause their ability to meet contractual obligations to be similarly affected by changes in economic or other conditions. Financial instruments on the balance sheet that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, fiduciary funds, accounts receivable and derivatives which are recorded at fair value.

The Company maintains a policy of providing for the diversification of cash and cash equivalent investments and places such investments in an extensive number of financial institutions to limit the amount of credit risk exposure. These financial institutions are monitored on an ongoing basis for credit quality predominantly using information provided by credit agencies.

Concentrations of credit risk with respect to receivables are limited due to the large number of clients and markets in which the Company does business, as well as the dispersion across many geographic areas. Management does not believe that significant risk exists in connection with the Company’s concentrations of credit as of December 31, 2021.

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

INDEX TO FORM 10-K

For the year ended December 31, 2021

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGIST****ERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company and subsidiaries (the ‘Company’) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows, for the three years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the ‘financial statements’). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the three years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (‘US GAAP’).

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (‘PCAOB’), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 24, 2022, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Errors and Omissions Reserve — Refer to Notes 2, 15 and 16 to the financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

The Company has established provisions against various actual and potential claims, lawsuits and other proceedings relating principally to alleged errors and omissions (‘E&O’) which arise in connection with the placement of insurance and reinsurance and provision of broking, consulting and outsourcing services in the ordinary course of business. Such provisions cover claims that have been reported but not paid and also claims that have been incurred but not reported (‘IBNR’). These provisions are established based on actuarial estimates together with individual case reviews. Significant management judgment is required to estimate the amounts of such claims.

Auditing management’s judgments related to its E&O provision, and in particular the broking, consulting and outsourcing business provisions related to the IBNR, and the provisions related to significant claims reported but not paid, involved especially complex and subjective judgment and an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our actuarial specialists.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

We tested the effectiveness of controls over the Company’s estimation of the E&O provisions, including controls over the underlying historical claims data, the actuarial methodology used, the assumptions selected by management that are used to calculate the broking,

consulting and outsourcing business IBNR provisions, and the establishment and quarterly evaluation of provisions for reported claims, including significant claims.

For the IBNR provisions, we evaluated the appropriateness of the IBNR models, including evaluating changes needed or warranted given changes in the business and trends emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, and evaluated the consistency of the model with prior years in order to challenge the methodology used to estimate the provisions. With the assistance of our actuarial specialists, we assessed the methodology and models used, including key inputs and assumptions used in, and arithmetical accuracy of, the models used. We also performed retrospective reviews of management’s estimated claims emergence in comparison to actual results and evaluated the provisions set by management in comparison to a range of independent estimates that we developed.

We evaluated the E&O matters and the appropriateness of their projected settlement values through inquiries of, and confirmations from, in-house counsel and external lawyers handling those matters for the Company.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Philadelphia, PA

February 24, 2022

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2017.

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(In millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data)

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None.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

An evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of the chief executive officer (‘CEO’) and chief financial officer (‘CFO’), of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, our management, including the CEO and CFO, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2021 in providing reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed in our periodic reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including the CEO and the CFO, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting in the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Most of our employees who are involved in our financial reporting processes and controls continue to work remotely following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to do so for the foreseeable future. COVID-19 has not had any specific impact to the design or operating effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Internal control over financial reporting refers to the process designed by, or under the supervision of, our CEO and CFO, and overseen by our board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and includes those policies and procedures that:

(1)

Pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company;

(2)

Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and

(3)

Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations. Internal control over financial reporting is a process that involves human diligence and compliance and is subject to lapses in judgment and breakdowns resulting from human failures. Internal control over financial reporting can also be circumvented by collusion or improper management override. Because of such limitations, there is a risk that material misstatements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent limitations are known features of the financial reporting process. Therefore, it is possible to design into the process safeguards to reduce, though not eliminate, this risk.

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the Company. Management has used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (‘COSO’) in the report entitled Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Based on this evaluation, management has concluded that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021.

The effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is included herein.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company and subsidiaries (the ‘Company’) as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (‘COSO’). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (‘PCAOB’), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021, of the Company and our report dated February 24, 2022, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Philadelphia, PA

February 24, 2022

None.

Not Applicable.

PART III.

Information with respect to the executive officers of the Company is provided in Part I, Item 1 Business above under the heading ‘Information about Executive Officers of the Registrant’. All other information required by this Item will be provided in accordance with Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K no later than 120 days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year.

The information required by this Item will be provided in accordance with Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K no later than 120 days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year.

The information required by this Item will be provided in accordance with Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K no later than 120 days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year.

The information required by this Item will be provided in accordance with Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K no later than 120 days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year.

The information required by this Item will be provided in accordance with Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K no later than 120 days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year.

PART IV.

a)

The following documents have been included in Part II, Item 8:

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Financial Statements of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company

Financial Statements:

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021

Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2021 and 2020

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

b)

Exhibits:

In reviewing the agreements included or incorporated by reference as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, it is important to note that they are included to provide investors with information regarding their terms, and are not intended to provide any other factual or disclosure information about WTW or the other parties to the agreements. The agreements contain representations and warranties made by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties have been made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement, and: should not be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating risk between the parties; have in some cases been qualified by disclosures that were made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement, which disclosures are not necessarily reflected in the agreement; may apply standards of materiality in a way that is different from what may be material to investors; and were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement and are subject to more recent developments.

Accordingly, these representations and warranties may not describe the actual state of affairs as of the date they were made or at any other time. Additional information about WTW may be found elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings, which are available without charge through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

• Filed herewith.

† Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

All exhibits that are incorporated by reference herein to a filing with the SEC made more than five years ago are filed under: SEC File No. 001-16503, for any filings that were made by Willis Group Holdings or the Company; SEC File No. 001-34594, for any filings that were made by Towers Watson; and SEC File No. 001-16159, for any filings that were made by Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

Not applicable.

SIGNAT****URES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: February 24, 2022

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated.