Willis Towers Watson acquires Hong Kong’s HR tech startup Jobable

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) announced it has acquired Hong Kong-based human capital analytics and software company Jobable and hired the startup’s entire team.

Former Jobable CEO Richard Hanson joins WTW as global head of data science for talent and rewards. Based in Hong Kong, Hanson will work to identify and capture global revenue opportunities, as well as contribute to WTW’s thought leadership initiatives.

Meanwhile, Jobable co-founder Luke Byrne, who served as the company’s chief operating officer, will help drive the transition process.

(From left) Luke Byrne and Richard Hanson / Photo credit:

London-based WTW provides risk management, insurance brokerage, and advisory services. It has 45,000 employees serving over 140 markets. Meanwhile, Jobable was founded in April 2014 and offers a data-driven platform that enables individuals to find jobs.

With the acquisition, WTW will be able to capitalize on Jobable’s expertise in human capital data science and software development. This includes full-stack software development, data engineering, natural language processing, deep learning, predictive analytics, and rapid prototyping, among others.

The acquisition will also enhance WTW’s services in helping organizations drive digital transformation and uncover the insights within their human capital data.

The deal comes after years of global partnership between the two companies, which jointly created skill-based compensation modeling software SkillsVue in 2019. In addition, WTW introduced an AI-driven job reinvention software WorkVue in 2020, which the Jobable team also developed.