Aon advances digital infrastructure capabilities with senior Risk Capital appointments as demand for data center investment accelerates

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, today announced two senior appointments to expand its capabilities to support the growing complexity and capital demands of digital infrastructure investment worldwide. Stephen Fox has joined Aon as a Managing Director, focusing on the firm’s digital infrastructure strategy, and Brian Hearst has been appointed Global Digital Infrastructure Builders Risk Leader.

As global demand for data center, cloud capacity and AI infrastructure accelerates, organizations are facing increasingly complex financing and insurance challenges. With these appointments, Aon is advancing the firm’s ability to help clients navigate these pressures by aligning underwriting appetite, technical risk insight and access to diversified sources of capital earlier in the project lifecycle. Together, the appointments reflect Aon’s continued investment in specialist leadership to help clients deliver large-scale, capital intensive projects with greater clarity and resilience.

“As digital infrastructure becomes more capital‑intensive and systemically important, clients need advisors who can bridge technical risk, underwriting appetite and access to diversified sources of capital,” said Joe Peiser, CEO of Risk Capital. “These appointments reinforce our commitment to delivering integrated Risk Capital strategies that help clients manage volatility, unlock capacity and build resilience across their most complex assets.”

Aon’s Digital Infrastructure Lifecycle Practice
In his new role, Fox will work within the firm’s Digital Infrastructure Lifecycle Solutions Practice, led by Peiser, and operate at the intersection of underwriting appetite, risk capital strategy and technical design. The practice supports clients in structuring large-scale digital infrastructure investments to secure optimal capacity, terms and diversified sources of Risk Capital.

“I’m excited to join Aon at a time when digital infrastructure risk and capital considerations are converging in new ways,” said Fox. “By aligning design intent, resilience and risk mitigation with underwriting and capital expectations early, we are materially improving client outcomes, from access to capacity through to long‑term capital efficiency.”

Fox brings to Aon more than three decades of experience across property risk engineering, resilience, business continuity and risk advisory, with deep sector expertise spanning digital infrastructure, technology manufacturing, energy and other mission‑critical assets. Prior to joining Aon, he held senior leadership roles at Marsh and JLT Specialty, and previously served in risk engineering and advisory positions at GlobalFoundries, Intel, Samsung and FM.

Global Digital Infrastructure Builders Risk Leadership
As Global Digital Infrastructure Builders Risk Leader, Hearst will be responsible for advancing Aon’s Global Builders risk strategy, supporting clients delivering large‑scale, complex construction projects across digital infrastructure, life sciences and other capital-intensive sectors.

“Builders risk is a critical enabler for clients bringing complex projects to market,” said Hearst. “I’m thrilled to step into this role and to work with colleagues around the world to continue delivering strong execution, deep expertise and consistent outcomes for clients navigating increasingly complex construction environments.”

Since joining Aon in 2018, Hearst has worked closely with major developers and investors on large‑scale projects across North America, Europe and Asia, helping clients structure and place builders risk programs that support execution certainty and long‑term resilience. He brings to his new role nearly four decades of experience spanning claims, underwriting, broking and risk management, providing a multi‑dimensional perspective on construction risk and program design.

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that help protect and grow their businesses.