In the first Industry Insight episode of On Aon, Charles Philpott and Paul Pryor explore why mining and natural resources are becoming more critical than ever before.

From electrification and the energy transition to data center expansion and national security, demand for minerals is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Against this backdrop, Charles and Paul discuss how mining companies are navigating deeper and more complex extraction, evolving geopolitical and supply chain dynamics and rising expectations around ESG and safety — while also unlocking new sources of capital and competitive advantage.

The conversation also examines one of the sector’s most pressing opportunities: building the workforce of the future. As automation, AI and autonomous operations reshape mining, organizations that invest in skills, technology and compelling employee value propositions will be best positioned to attract and retain the next generation of talent.

Key Takeaways:  

1. Natural resources underpin the modern economy, from electrification and decarbonization to data center growth — placing mining at the heart of global growth and resilience.
2. End‑to‑end visibility across the mining value chain — from extraction and processing to transport and infrastructure — is increasingly essential as demand for metals such as copper, gold and critical minerals accelerates.
3. Talent and technology are becoming sources of competitive advantage. Mining companies that embrace automation, AI and differentiated employee value propositions will be better positioned to secure future skills and sustain long‑term performance.

Experts in this episode:  

• Charles Philpott — Global Natural Resources Leader, Enterprise Client Group, Aon
• Paul Pryor — Global Mining Practice Leader, Aon

Key moments:  

(4:10) As the natural resources industry transforms and makes more use of autonomous vehicles and autonomous operations, so too are they exposed to greater technology and cyber risks.

(5:35) Extraction is getting more difficult, the new deposits are deeper and complex geologies and at the same time the demand for minerals will increase about six times through 2040.

(9:30) Data centers depend on mining — from construction materials to battery metals and cooling systems — underscoring how critical minerals underpin every layer of modern data and cloud capacity.

Soundbites:    

Paul Pryor:

“The biggest issue facing natural resources companies today is trying to satisfy the world's incessant demand to improve the quality of life.”

Charles Philpott:
“Few industries are under as much pressure and opportunity as mining right now.”

In the first Human Capital Insight episode of On Aon, Jason Trull and Aon talent and rewards leaders unpack how organizations can turn rapid workforce change into a performance advantage across technology, life sciences and financial services. Drawing on Aon data and current market signals, the group explores what’s shifting fastest: accelerating AI adoption and governance needs, skills evolving beyond traditional role-based models and rising expectations for personalization, flexibility and career pathways.

Key Takeaways:   

1. AI is reshaping skills demand and pushing new governance and reskilling priorities across industries.
2. Skills are evolving faster than traditional talent models. Routine and transactional tasks are declining as higher-value analytical and digital skills rise.
3. Employee expectations continue to evolve, increasing the importance of personalization, flexibility and clear career pathways.

Experts in this episode:   

• Jason Trull — Global Head of Talent Data Solutions, Aon
• Chris Tanana — US HCS Rewards Solutions Partner, North America, Aon
• Tanaz Moazami — US HCS Rewards Solutions Partner, North America, Aon
• Ephraim Edelman — Head of Talent Data Solutions, North America, Aon
• Rahul Chawla — Advisory Best Practices, APAC, Aon

Key moments:   

(1:05) The global labor market is in a state of flux. Employee turnover, shifts in hiring trends, the spread of AI and healthcare costs are all piling the pressure on people leaders, and each industry is moving through really its own version of disruption.

(5:00) We believe that about 96% of life sciences firms plan to invest in reskilling to stay competitive.

(6:00) The tech sector, maybe more than any other, is facing a fundamental shift of the skills that companies need as AI adoption accelerates.

(14:15) Today's employee value proposition requires companies to refocus and consider various elements, including skills, pathways and growth.

Soundbites:     

Jason Trull:

“Demand for professionals with AI skills is only going to increase, making it all the more necessary for leaders to seek out reskilling opportunities for their teams.”

Chris Tanana:
“It's a difficult balance staying cost efficient without undermining the ability to attract and retain critical talent.”

Tanaz Moazami:

“Firms are navigating multi-generational needs, evolving expectations on well-being and ongoing reinvestment in employee value proposition to keep pace.”

Ephraim Edelman:

“Companies are rebuilding a very different kind of talent model. We're seeing a shift towards a more skilled, more specialized and more globally distributed workforce.”

Rahul Chawla:

“Our clients are focused on delivering personalized benefits and communicating that value through non-traditional methods.”

On Aon — Episode 100

Title: Building Climate Resilience: Insights from Aon’s 2025 Climate and Catastrophe Report

In the first Risk Capital Insight episode of On Aon, host Alexandra Lewis is joined by Aon leaders Tracy Hatlestad and Michal Lorinc to discuss the findings of Aon’s 2025 Climate and Catastrophe Insight report. They explore another year of more than $100 billion in insured catastrophe losses, driven largely by secondary perils, and what a changing climate means for people, infrastructure and the global economy.

Key Takeaways:

1. Climate risk is increasingly blurring lines between property and people risk, demanding more integrated decisions.
2. Secondary perils, including severe convective storms and wildfire, are now major drivers of global insured catastrophe losses.
3. Alternative risk transfer and parametric solutions complement traditional reinsurance to manage climate‑driven volatility.

Experts in this episode: 

• Tracy Hatlestad — Executive Managing Director and Global Head of Property, Reinsurance, Aon
• Michal Lörinc — Head of Catastrophe Insight and Impact Forecasting, Aon

Key moments: 

(1:35) In 2025, secondary perils were the primary driver of insured catastrophe activity, totaling around $100 billion.

(5:40) The insurance protection gap was the lowest on record in 2025, but half of the losses still went uninsured globally.

(6:05) Heat waves are one of the primary impacts on human health and we saw the impacts of heat waves around the world in 2025 with 42,000 fatalities from heat-related issues alone.

Soundbites:   

Michal Lorinc:

“One ‘under-average’ year is no reason for complacency. Organizations need to keep strengthening their resilience for the future.”

Tracy Hatlestad:

“We also saw the lowest protection gap on record for the year 2025, and that’s predominantly as a result of the fact that 81% of losses are coming from the United States.”

Find out more:
2026 Climate and Catastrophe Insight

In this first Global Insight episode of On Aon, Bridget Gainer, chief public affairs officer at Aon, is joined by Dan Foy from Gallup to explore how leaders can use resilience as a platform for smarter growth. Drawing on insights from Davos and the development of Aon’s new Resilience Quotient (ARQ), they unpack how combining economic data with sentiment creates clearer signals amidst rising volatility. Together, they explain why organizations that understand both their exposure and their capacity to adapt are better positioned to make confident decisions, invest wisely and unlock long‑term performance.

Key Takeaways:

1. The ability to adapt, respond and make confident decisions is emerging as a competitive differentiator, one that shapes investment choices, talent strategy and long‑term performance.
2. Aon’s Resilience Quotient pairs objective risk indicators with Gallup’s global sentiment data to illuminate how societies, institutions and workforces experience disruption. This combination reveals underlying strengths that can accelerate growth.
3. Institutional strength, employee engagement and societal confidence shape how effectively organizations can adopt new technologies, navigate policy shifts and seize emerging opportunities.

Experts in this episode:

• Bridget Gainer — Chief Public Affairs Officer, Aon
• Dan Foy — U.S. Business Leader for Global Research, Gallup

Key moments:

(3:50) Complexity and volatility are not temporary conditions.

(8:05) What we've done with Aon’s Resilience Quotient is one attempt to really try and bring that data together in a way that helps decision makers evaluate what are the true underlying factors.

(17:20) Turning trust into something that can be quantified changes how leaders make critical operational decisions.

Additional Resources:

Aon at Davos: A Spirit of Dialogue and Renewed Cooperation

Aon’s Resilience Quotient

Soundbites:

Bridget Gainer:

“Resilience can’t just be defensive anymore. It has to enhance decision quality, adaptability and long-term performance.”

Dan Foy:

“Engagement isn’t soft — it’s measurable, it’s movable and it changes how organizations adapt to disruption.”

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)

More Like This:

Q3 2025: Global Insurance Market Overview

Aon’s Global Risk Management Survey

Cyber and E&O: Pricing Holds, but Market Momentum is Shifting

4 Strategies to Navigate Insurance Claims Trends

Optimizing Your Property Program: How to Use a Soft Market to Build Resilience

On Aon — Episode 95

Title: Turning Climate Risk into Strategic Resilience

In the latest episode of On Aon, Liz Henderson, global head of climate risk advisory, and Tracy-Lee Kus, CEO of Aon's Global Broking Center, discuss the urgent topic of climate risk and resilience.

As climate-related events grow more frequent and severe, they’re reshaping insurance costs, regulations and business operations. Liz and Tracy-Lee explore how Aon is responding with innovation to help clients navigate this increasingly complex risk environment.

They also highlight why resilience in organizational strategy is no longer optional, but imperative for sustainable growth.

Experts in this episode:

• Liz Henderson — Global Head of Climate Risk Advisory, Aon
• Tracy-Lee Kus — Chief Executive Officer, Global Broking Center, Aon

Key Takeaways:

1. Climate resilience is now a board-level priority and becoming increasingly important to business strategy and the insurance sector.
2. Regional regulations are causing organizations to adapt their risk strategies.
3. Aon has heavily invested in advanced analytics and climate modeling to empower clients with a complete and actionable view of their climate risk, supporting better decisions and long-term resilience strategies.

Key moments:

(03:10) With organizations facing increased climate risk, Aon is focusing on how it match risk to the right price and measure the impact and benefit of resilience for our clients.

(05:10) California and the EU are leading the way when it comes to climate-related regulation and can provide an indication on what measures other countries and regions will be adopting in the coming years..

(07:50) Aon’s analyzers — like the Climate Risk Monitor — help clients to quantify their exposures and anticipate what the climate-driven disruptions could be for their business.

Soundbites:

Liz Henderson:

“The one thing that we always say around climate risk is that it's both a risk in and of itself as it drives weather volatility, but it is also a risk amplifier across an organization, whether that's through your workforce, health and wellbeing, supply chain, etc.”

Tracy-Lee Kus:

“Our strategies themselves are now focused on helping clients to use disclosure, not just for compliance, but as a catalyst for resilience, capital access, and stakeholder trust.”

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

More Like This:

Findings from Aon’s Global Risk Management Survey

Climate Change: Evolving Property Risk to Resilience

Steering Trade and Supply Chains Amid Weather Challenges