Aon plans UK expansion following regional shake-up

Aon plans to expand across the UK following its national restructuring, which has consolidated its five regional divisions into four.

The company’s UK national managing director Steve Redgwell told Insurance Times: “We are looking to increase our footprint across the country.

“One of the challenges that has been put out to each of the areas is to focus on growth and on where we should be that we are not.”

He added: “We are doing a lot of work around where our clients are, where our future clients are and therefore where we need to be.”

Under the restructuring, Aon has disbanded its central region, which comprised Birmingham, Leicester and Bristol.

Bristol has now moved into the broker’s South West division, while Birmingham and Leicester now form part of Aon’s North West, Midlands and East Anglia division.

The change was prompted in part by the departure of central area director Craig Preston, who has left the industry to head up executive training firm Inspirational Development Group.

Redgwell said: “[Preston’s departure] prompted us to look and think about what we do.

“Rather than just saying: ‘Let’s put somebody else into that box’, it gave us the ability to sit down with the leadership team and talk about where we are going, what opportunities lay ahead of us and what’s the best structure to take us forward.”

He added that there would be no further management changes or job cuts related to the restructuring.

He said: “If anything, with the expansion, we will be looking to grow our talent pool rather than reduce it.”

Aon’s UK national network now comprises the Scotland and North East division, headed by Steve Young; North West, Midlands and East Anglia, headed by Jane Kielty; South East, headed by Richard Broekhuizen; and South West, headed by Jas Ram.