Aon Seeks To Promote Diversity Partnerships

NU Online News Service, April 10, 3:56 p.m. EDT

Aon Corp. announced the creation of Aon Cornerstone Innovative Solutions, an effort it said is aimed at developing relationships between minority businesses and Aon's corporate clients.

The program, explained David Prosperi, vice president of global public relations, came out of conversations with clients looking to develop and fulfill their own diversity initiatives. Under the program, minority-owned businesses dealing with Aon will be connected with the broker's clients where there is a complementary use for their business offerings.

The minority businesses will range from vendor businesses providing goods and services to Aon to risk management and consulting firms that the broker does business with, he said.

"They provide services Aon needs and, in turn, we think our clients would have a need for their services," Mr. Prosperi said.

The program will involve the broker's three main business units: Aon Risk Services, Aon Benfield and Aon Consulting.

Mr. Prosperi said Aon decided to do this to help support the diversity initiatives of its own clients, to give value back to Aon's own minority partnerships, and to support the broker's own corporate diversity efforts.

"Companies and their leaders who publicly embrace the concept of working closely with minority-owned businesses view this strategy as a key factor in generating tangible results," Greg Case, president and chief executive officer of Aon Corp., said in a statement.

"We have made the commitment to create Aon Cornerstone, the only initiative in the risk management industry that focuses on a true partnership with minority business enterprises designed to jointly develop opportunities in Aon's core lines of business," added Mr. Case.

Leonard McLaughlin, president of Aon Cornerstone Innovative Solutions, said: "More than simply meeting diversity goals, we will deliver added value to our clients through partnerships with highly qualified certified minority-based risk management and consulting companies. Our unique value proposition will also include products and services from minority-owned insurance companies and minority brokers in our offerings to clients."

Aon said the Members of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), that includes many Fortune 500 companies, have a goal to increase utilization of minority-owned enterprises up from the $100 billion spent in 2007. Currently, less than 1 percent of the goal is realized through the purchase of risk management products and services.

Mr. Prosperi noted that in addition to using the relationships the firm already has with minority-owned businesses, it will pursue new relationships with other minority-owned businesses. Besides strengthening its own commitment to corporate responsibility, it is the hope that these new relationships will eventually lead to enhanced revenue for Aon in the future.

The announcement, he said, marks the national roll-out of a program that has been in effect in parts of the corporation.