Aon

Aon is one of the world’s top providers of risk management, insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, human resource solutions, and outsourcing services—in other words, it offers what companies need to manage their risk, and manage and optimize their employees.

In 2011, Business Insurance magazine ranked Aon the #1 largest insurance broker in the world based  on the firm’s previous year revenues of $10.6 billion. Aon has over 500 offices across 120 countries, and 72,000 employees.

Aon’s Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion Nichole Barnes Marshall told us, “We are literally servicing every industry on the planet. And that provides a wealth of opportunities, internally and externally, for (Aon employees) to really grow in their careers.”

Margaret Heneghan, Aon’s Head of Leadership & Talent Development, added that Millennials “are very focused on gaining experience-based development, and we as an organization  are  committed to helping colleagues to develop the right experience to meet their own goals—and to help meet the objectives of our clients. So anyone who’s interested, basically, in any role you could possibly imagine, Aon has a job that relates.”

Aon has frequently been lauded for its treatment of its female executives. According to Marshall, “more than half of our global colleagues are women.” Among Aon’s support tools is its Women’s International Network, or WIN, an employee resource group. Marshall shared with us, “Often women will focus more on the tactical aspects (such as) degrees, experience, skill sets. Which are all great…but it’s also the image and the exposure.” WIN therefore offers a series of popular workshops on “appearance, how you represent yourself…communication styles, body language—all the things that build the package and your ability to articulate your value.”

When we asked Marshall to provide advice to job-seekers, she responded, “Be sure to look for a sense that the companies you’re choosing have an inclusive workplace.” While most companies claim to champion diversity, Marshall noted, “Diversity is counting heads. Inclusion is making heads count. Often an organization will seek a diverse workforce, going out and looking at all the different demographics to bring those different perspectives into the workplace, which is very important. However, without an inclusive workplace where those different perspectives are valued, in essence what you have is a revolving door. You find yourself coming into a company where  you can’t bring your authentic self, you’re struggling to find networks and opportunities to succeed. (Instead,) seek out inclusive workplaces where you can leverage the difference that you bring for the collective advantage.”