Leadership Battle in the Insurance Market: John Neal Moves to Aon

John Neal, the former CEO of Lloyd's of London, is leaving the venerable insurance company to take on a new challenge in the areas of reinsurance and climate change at the brokerage firm Aon. As Lloyd's prepares for the leadership transition, with Sir Charles Roxburgh, a former Treasury official, set to succeed Bruce Carnegie-Brown as chairman, Neal's move is causing a stir. The confirmation of the move, first reported by Insurance Insider, came on Wednesday from both companies. Since his appointment in 2018, Neal has led Lloyd's through the turbulent times of the Covid-19 pandemic, preserving the face-to-face trading business and steering a recovery in profitability despite higher natural catastrophe losses. This resulted in the best underwriting result since 2007. However, he also faced criticism for delays in a highly praised IT project to renew outdated back-office systems.