Aon appoints new Emea co-chief executive with responsibility for UK as leadership changes announced

Aon has appointed Tracy-Lee Kus as one of its new co-chief executives for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea) in a major leadership shakeup.

Kus will be responsible for the UK, Ireland, South Africa and the Middle East. Aon said that Jane Kielty, who was appointed UK chief executive in January 2024, will be supporting with the transition of the leadership responsibilities in the UK, Ireland and South Africa.

Meanwhile, Kai-Frank Buechter has been named as the other co-chief executive for Emea, overseeing Continental Europe and North Africa. Additionally, Pedro Penalva will serve as chief executive of Latin America.

Aon said that current Emea chief executive Julie Page and Latin America chief executive Alejandro Galizia will serve as chairs of Emea and Latin America through 2026.

Greg Case, president and chief executive at Aon, said: ”We are grateful to Page, Kielty and Galizia for their leadership, the significant contributions they made in serving our clients and building our firm and the teams they have developed who will carry our work forward.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together during the first phase of our 3x3 Plan. Now is the right time for the next generation of leaders to take the business forward and I’m excited to support them as they build on this strong momentum.”

Experience

Kus brings more than three decades of experience across underwriting and broking, with a global career spanning South Africa, the UK and Asia.

Kus most recently served as chief executive of Aon’s Global Broking Centre, shaping market strategy, strengthening access to global capacity and delivering propositions for clients.

She is supporting the process to fill her Global Broking Centre responsibilities and will remain in this role until a new leader is identified.

“It is a privilege to lead Aon’s presence in Emea with Buechter,” said Kus.

“I’m looking forward to further advancing the work of our high performing teams to deliver market leading capabilities and expertise to our clients.”

Meanwhile, Buechter has spent more than 26 years with Aon, most recently serving as chief executive of Aon’s DACH region with responsibilities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“Clients across Emea face rising volatility and complexity,” said Buechter.

“I’m excited to partner with Kus to build on our momentum in delivering actionable insights, differentiated risk capital and human capital capabilities and leading expertise to our clients.”