Global insurance and reinsurance broker Aon has established a New Ventures Group and assigned a team of senior leaders to it, which includes the appointment of Tony Goland as Chief Innovation Officer, effective November 1.
Aon said that the creation of the Group represented another significant step towards realising the goals of its Aon United growth strategy and will support the development of new sources of value for its clients.
“Earlier this year we took a series of steps, including the creation of the Aon Operating Committee, the appointment of our new co-presidents and our transition to a single Aon brand,” said Greg Case, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aon. “All of which were designed to make it easier for our colleagues to bring the best of Aon to clients and help us deliver on the growth potential of our firm.”
Goland currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Aon and will now be responsible for organising the New Ventures Group, coordinating management of the overall innovation portfolio and assuming leadership of priority growth points.
Before becoming CHRO in 2015, Goland was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he spent 30 years advising organisations on how to maximise client value and expand shareholder return.
Case continued: “With that growth foundation in place we are taking additional steps to further accelerate innovation that delivers new value to clients and expands the marketplace.
“As Chief Innovation Officer, Tony Goland will be responsible for mobilizing the activities of our New Ventures Group, which will include senior leaders from across the firm – including myself – that will increasingly commit their time to the rapid incubation and delivery of new sources of client value.”
Other initial members of Aon’s New Ventures Group Leadership Team include Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Christa Davies, who has been granted more time to explore high-growth, high-margin revenue opportunities following the appointment of Maggie Westdale as Business CFO in May,
Bryon Ehrhart, Global Head of Strategic Growth and Development, will also support the New Ventures Group by focusing on the assessment of innovation opportunities in key high-growth geographies.
Finally, John Bruno, Chief Operations Officer, Aon and CEO, Data & Analytic Services, will be responsible for accelerating the commercialisation of new data-driven content solutions for the New Ventures Group.
“I am excited about Aon’s potential to create meaningful new sources of value for clients,” said Goland. “I look forward to working closely with our incredibly talented leaders across Aon to accelerate the future growth of our firm.”
Aon has also appointed Siobhan Cifelli, current Global Human Resources Leader for the Aon Operating Committee, to the role of interim CHRO while it searches for a permanent replacement for Goland.
