FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

(WASHINGTON, DC – October 4, 2004) Joseph J. Plumeri, chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings Ltd., will receive the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Special Achievement Award in Business at the Foundation’s 29th Anniversary Awards Gala, Saturday evening, October 16 at the Hilton Washington & Towers, Washington, D.C. The gala begins with a 6 PM reception followed by dinner at 7 PM.

The NIAF Gala is one of the premier annual events in Washington, D.C. attracting more than 3,000 people from throughout the country and abroad. The NIAF gala has been traditionally attended by the presidential candidates, members of the Italian American Congressional Delegation and Italian American leaders in business, sports, government, entertainment and the arts.

Luciano Pavarotti, legendary tenor, will be inducted into the NIAF Italian American Hall of Fame in Music and Tim McGraw, Grammy Award-winning country music star, will receive the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Music. McGraw will be accompanied by his wife, singer Faith Hill.

Before joining Willis Group Holdings Ltd., the global insurance broker, Plumeri worked for 32 years as an executive with Citigroup Inc. and its predecessor companies. He oversaw 450 North American retail branches of Citigroup’s Citibank unit and served as chairman and CEO of Citigroup’s Primerica Financial Services. In 1994, he was appointed vice chairman of Citigroup’s predecessor, Travelers Group Inc., and then became the president of Citigroup’s Salomon Smith Barney after serving as the president and managing partner of Shearson.

Plumeri serves on the board of directors of: The College of William & Mary, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. He is also a former commissioner of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. A graduate of The College of William & Mary, he funded a new baseball stadium for the college named “Plumeri Park” in honor of his father who had a lifelong passion for baseball. He currently resides in New Jersey.

Dinner tickets begin at $400 per person based on table location. Attire: Black tie. Proceeds from the event will benefit the NIAF scholarship and education programs. For tickets or sponsor information, contact Bonni Cellini at 202/939-3114 or bonni@niaf.org or register on-line at www.niaf.org .

The NIAF is a non-profit, non-partisan foundation dedicated to promoting the contributions of Italian Americans. The Foundation has a wide-range of programs that provide scholarships and grants, legislative internships in Congress, conferences and cultural seminars. Visit our website at www.niaf.org .