On Aon — Episode 98

How Leaders Stay Ahead: Balancing Risk and Strategic Choices

In this episode of On Aon, Aaron Olson, executive vice president for Aon's Enterprise Client Group and co-author of the book Strategy and Change: Finding Opportunity in Disruption Through Insight, Choice and Risk, is joined by co-authors Richard Waterer, Aon's global risk consulting leader, and Ward Ching, Aon’s managing director of global risk finance. Together, they explore what it takes for leaders to stay ahead in a world of volatility — sharing approaches to balance risk, embrace change and uncover new paths for growth and innovation.

Key takeaways: Aaron, Richard and Ward explore three key themes:

1. Insight – To succeed, organizations must strengthen pattern recognition and systems thinking to surface blind spots and assumptions before they turn into costly errors.
2. Choice – Business leaders need to focus on improving strategic choices and understand the impact of each decision to ensure every choice supports their goals.
3. Risk – Rather than avoiding risk, organizations can harness it as a catalyst for growth — aligning risk appetite, feedback from incidents and execution so organizations can move boldly and adapt quickly.

Experts in this episode:

• Aaron Olson — Executive Vice President, Enterprise Client Group, Aon
• Richard Waterer — Global Risk Consulting Leader, Commercial Risk, Aon
• Ward Ching — Managing Director, Global Risk Finance, Aon

Key moments:

(3:34) Aaron explains the concepts of insight, choice and risk — critical capabilities for navigating disruptive change that leaders and organizations will need to build.

(5:53) Ward highlights how we have moved from the information age to the digital age, where information is being curated in fundamentally new ways, which reshapes the way leaders need to think about strategic choice and disruption.

(10:20) Richard explains how risk has often been misunderstood as something to avoid when it can be seen as a driver of insight and opportunity.

Additional Resources:

Strategy and Change: Finding Opportunity in Disruption Through Insight, Choice and Risk

Findings from Aon’s Global Risk Management Survey

Soundbites

Richard Waterer:
“So the idea is simple by clearly defining how much risk an organization is willing to take. You don't just draw a line between danger and safety, you actually create a runway for innovation and growth.”

Aaron Olson:
“We have found...during times of disruptive change, insight becomes particularly important, both the use of analytics to understand and evaluate situations and the importance of addressing and considering blind spots.”

On Aon — Episode 97

Risk and Resilience in the Age of Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles and self-driving technology are no longer futuristic — they’re transforming how we move today. As adoption accelerates worldwide, insurers face a new set of risks and opportunities. Jillian Slyfield, Aon’s global chief innovation officer and global technology and digital economy leader, joins David Carlson, global industrials and manufacturing leader, to discuss key industry partnerships and the regulatory challenges shaping ride technology.

Key Takeaways:

1. Autonomous vehicles are moving from testing phases to everyday use, creating new considerations for transportation and risk management.
2. Insurers now face the challenge of balancing multiple forms of liability — including product, auto and cyber — as technology reshapes mobility.
3. Data is important as both a risk and an asset. Who collects it, who owns it and how it can be used will all be key, as will balancing the privacy issues around it.

Experts in this episode:

• Jillian Slyfield — Global Chief Innovation Officer and Global Technology and Digital Economy Leader, Aon
• David Carlson — Global Industrials and Manufacturing Leader, Aon

Key moments:

0:45 The autonomous vehicles (AV) sector is expanding quickly — the industry is projected to grow from just over $100 billion in 2021 to more than $2 trillion by 2030, impacting how we think about mobility, risk and insurance.

10:40 The collection of data from autonomous vehicles will lead the way to better underwriting and faster claims adjudication in insurance. However, a big unresolved issue is who owns and can access this data.

15:00 Collaboration among insurers, brokers, fleet operators, OEMs and AV tech creators is at an all-time high and is critical to managing emerging risks.

Additional Resources:

Article: Navigating Risk in Transportation and Logistics: Gearing Up for Big Transitions | Aon

Report: Findings from Aon's Global Risk Management Survey | Tenth Edition

Soundbites:

Jillian Slyfield:

“But coverage is changing. I wouldn't say that we need new forms of coverage, but we do need to think differently about the coverage that's in place and how to put it together in the best possible way. Sometimes we say it's like a jigsaw puzzle. Let's make sure the pieces are in the right places.”

David Carlson:

“The reality is people are still car enthusiasts. People love to drive cars still. That's just a reality. And so, I think in time, these things will evolve and we'll see more adoption.”

On Aon — Episode 96

Opportunities in a Changing Market — What Risk Buyers Need to Know

November 20, 2025

420 words … about a minute read

What’s new: In the latest episode of On Aon, Global Chief Broking Officer Cynthia Beveridge and Global Chief Claims Officer Mona Barnes discuss emerging trends in the commercial risk market as it heads towards the January renewals period. They discuss how the market is becoming increasingly fragmented and explain the factors driving recent developments in claims, including heightened natural catastrophe exposures, macroeconomic and geopolitical pressures, rising cyber ransomware incidents and adverse litigation trends currently unfolding in the U.S.

Experts in this episode:

• Cynthia Beveridge — Global Chief Broking Officer, Commercial Risk, Aon
• Mona Barnes — Global Chief Claims Officer, Commercial Risk, Aon

Key Takeaways:

1. As organizations approach January renewals, they must adapt to a fragmented and rapidly evolving insurance market by reviewing and strengthening their risk programs.
2. Despite generally favorable pricing, risk buyers face rising claims complexity and costs driven by natural catastrophes, inflation and adverse litigation trends.
3. Success in today’s environment depends on close collaboration with claims advocates and leveraging insurer performance data to build resilient strategies for emerging risks.

Key moments:

(2:01) Insurers are generally growth-focused, competing aggressively and are looking to differentiate themselves through pricing, terms and risk improvement support.

(4:17) Natural catastrophes, increasing ransomware severity, macroeconomic pressures and adverse litigation trends are shaping claims trends.

(8:48) The growing availability of data and alternative sources of capital such as parametric, captives, catastrophe bonds, multiyear structured and facultative solutions are helping clients.

Soundbites:
Cynthia Beveridge
“Capacity has increased across much of the market during 2025. It's flowing in from both traditional insurers and the reinsurance market, but notably it's fragmented. While most placements can achieve full tower limits, the towers are really compromised. It's comprised of more insurers and more segments.”

Mona Barnes
“Claims inflation is contributing to increasing costs of everyday items as companies are looking to recoup losses by raising prices on all items, including food, housing and medical care — as well as insurance.”

Listen for more: The “On Aon” podcast is available on Spotify, Simplecast and Apple Podcasts (iTunes)

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