He succeeds Carl Hess who, after holding the position since July 2008, has assumed the role of managing director of the Americas region and joins the company's executive committee.
Tricia Guinn, managing director of Risk and Financial Services at Towers Watson, said: "Chris is an extremely talented individual who is very well placed to succeed Carl and to continue building a strong global business. Chris has proven himself to be very capable – both strategically and operationally – at propelling the business forward and delivering strong growth and excellent results for our clients."
Chris Ford joined Towers Watson 23 years ago and has held numerous leadership roles during that time, most recently heading the company's Investment business in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
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Towers Watson's Investment business is focused on creating financial value for institutional investors through its expertise in risk assessment, strategic asset allocation, fiduciary management and investment manager selection. It has around 800 associates worldwide, assets under advisory of over US$2 trillion and around US$60bn of assets under management.
Towers Watson is a global professional services company that helps organisations improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management. The company offers consulting, technology and solutions in the areas of benefits, talent management, rewards, and risk and capital management. Towers Watson has more than 14,000 associates around the world.