Aon Forms New Ventures Group, Led by Chief Innovation Officer Goland

Aon plc announced it has formed a new unit called New Ventures Group, which is designed to increase Aon’s investment in innovative new businesses.

The global unit will identify, incubate and deliver new sources of value for clients, explained an Aon representative.

In addition, Aon has appointed Tony Goland as chief innovation officer. Goland who previously was Aon’s chief human resources officer, will begin leading the New Ventures Group on Nov. 1, 2018.

“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 Aon CEO Greg Case, in a statement.

“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,” added Case.

Initial members of Aon’s New Ventures Group leadership team are:

• Tony Goland, chief innovation officer. In his new role, Goland will coordinate management of the overall innovation portfolio, leading selected priority growth opportunities. Goland joined Aon in 2015 as chief human resources officer. Previously he had been a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. where he spent 30 years advising organizations on how to maximize client value and expand shareholder return by accelerating growth. He has extensive experience in Latin America and Asia, and he was a leader of McKinsey’s insurance, banking and organization practices, according to his biography on Aon’s website.

• Christa Davies, chief financial officer, Aon. As a member of the New Ventures Group, Davies will focus on new high-growth, high-margin revenue opportunities. As CFO of Aon over the last decade, Davies has overseen the creation of a 25 percent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in free cash flow and a 16 percent CAGR in total shareholder return, said Aon. In May of this year, Davies announced the appointment of Maggie Westdale, formerly chief financial officer of Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions business to the new created position of Business CFO, providing Davies the opportunity to join the New Ventures Group and devote more of her time to exploring new high-growth, high-margin revenue opportunities. Prior to joining Aon in 2007, Davies was the CFO of Microsoft’s Platform and Services Division, which at the time was the largest and most profitable division within the company.

• Bryon Ehrhart, global head of strategic growth and development, Aon. As a member of the New Ventures Group, Ehrhart will focus on assessing innovation opportunities in key high-growth geographies. In his 25 years at Aon, Ehrhart has had founding and senior leadership roles in reinsurance solutions, investment banking and advanced analytics. Since taking on his strategic growth role in 2016, Ehrhart has been primarily focused on leading Aon’s large and high-growth market strategy. Prior to joining Aon, Ehrhart served as an auditor and consultant at Coopers & Lybrand, a precursor to multi-national professional services network, PwC.

• John Bruno, chief operations officer, Aon, and chief executive officer, Data & Analytic Services. As a member of the New Ventures Group, Bruno will be responsible for accelerating the commercialization of new data-driven, content solutions. Since joining Aon in 2014, first as chief information officer and then as chief operations officer, Bruno has re-architected the back-office and middle-office operations of the firm to modernize its technology and create a stronger foundation for growth. In May of this year, Bruno was named CEO of Data & Analytic Services, with oversight of Aon’s global Centers for Innovation and Analytics. The insights Aon delivers through Data & Analytics are critical to unlocking the next wave of value for clients and foundational to the long-term growth of the firm, said Aon. Prior to joining Aon, Bruno held a variety of senior leadership roles at NCR Corp., which were critical to its reinvention from a hardware provider into a leader in the consumer transaction technologies space.

“I am excited about Aon’s potential to create meaningful new sources of value for clients,” said Goland, chief innovation officer, Aon. “I look forward to working closely with our incredibly talented leaders across Aon to accelerate the future growth of our firm.”

Aon has appointed Siobhan Cifelli, currently the global human resources leader for the Aon Operating Committee, to the role of interim CHRO while Aon completes a comprehensive internal and external search to fill Goland’s previous position as CHRO.

Source: Aon