ITALY - Watson Wyatt has set up an Italian insurance consulting unit and hired a Deloitte consultant to lead it.

B&W Deloitte's Alessandra Gambini will the firm's new Milan-based insurance consulting team, the company announced today.

With Gambini's appointment the firm will for the first time have a permanent team in Italy, seeing her appointment as a the latest sign for its Italian "on-the-ground presence" for insurance and financial service consulting.

The firm said that she would focus on the further development of the firm's Italian insurance and financial services consulting.

"This is an important development in the growth of our insurance and financial services consulting business in Europe," said Martin Pike, the firm's new European regional director of insurance & financial services (IFS) consulting practice.

Gambini, a Swiss actuary, previously worked as a representative of B&W Deloitte, also based in Milan.