Q&A: Mona Barnes, Aon

You started your career in the legal sector, how did you get into insurance? 

I certainly never expected to stay in insurance as long as I have.

Initially, I was an insurance litigator, which gave me a great understanding of the legal aspects and challenges within the sector. 

The transition into insurance from the legal side – when I moved to the speciality claims team at Chubb – was a lot smoother than I anticipated. I realised the insurance world is more exciting than I thought.

I moved to Swiss Re after that, where I assumed a leadership role overseeing the global claim’s function. There I navigated through huge events such as the opioid crisis, aviation incidents, and the unprecedented challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

And now, of course, I’m with Aon – my first broking role.

What motivated your move from Swiss Re to Aon?

For me, it was an appreciation for Aon’s commitment to delivering on its promises, particularly when it comes to claims advocacy. 

Aon’s reputation for ensuring that claims services align with client expectations hits very close to my values as a professional. 

How does the claims function at a broker like Aon differ from claims at carriers like Swiss Re and Chubb?

The claims approach at a reinsurer is different to an insurer or broker in a direct market, however, the principles continue to remain the same: clients expect their product to deliver when they have claims and it is our job to make sure they get the best experience and continue partnering with us for future business.

Can you share your plans for claims at Aon?

My plans revolve around delivering value for clients. Too many in the industry look at claims as a support function, when it really isn’t; it’s the product. 

Aon’s reputation for ensuring that claims services align with client expectations hits very close to my values as a professional.

The core focus lies in making use of our extensive networks, nurturing relationships with carriers, and ensuring deep subject matter expertise through our hiring processes. 

While placing policies, our goal is to thoroughly understand clients’ needs and navigate interactions with insurers to secure coverage that aligns with these needs – I don’t plan on changing that any time soon. 

And of course, we have very ambitious growth plans, which we’re hoping to be able to share more about that within the next few months. 

How big is your team?

There are two teams. One is the global breaking centre claims team, which is around 100. There’s also the UK claims team which is another 100 people. 

It’ll come as no surprise, we’re a high volume business, so it’s important that we have the right people. Not only the right quantity, but also the right skill, and making sure that they’re sitting in the right business units.  

That makes sure that we’re able to be agile enough so that when we have natural catastrophe events, things like the storms we’ve been seeing recently, or any other large scale macro events, those teams are able to respond in the right way. 

We’ve got around 1800s claims colleagues around the world in 60 countries. It’s a huge operation. So when we see events like the ones I’ve just mentioned, we’ve got a network across the world so we can get the expertise locally.

How do you distinguish between insurers who provide excellent claims service and those who only claim to do so?

Well, it relies heavily on first-hand experience, as well as client feedback, and a deep understanding of the industry landscape – keeping informed on ongoing situations like aviation incidents, opioid-related liabilities over in the US, that kind of thing. 

You also have to be scrutinising insurer’s claims-handling processes, responsiveness to client needs, and whether they tend to outsource legal matters.

On that note, we’ve noticed an increasing reliance on the use of external lawyers by some insurers, which invariably leads to delays and added complications. 

You need to make things as easy as possible for claimants, which means keeping things as simple as possible. 

You oversee dedicated teams of claims professionals for the Global Broking Centre (GBC) London Markets and the UK regional market. How do the needs of clients for each of those segments differ?

GBC is our wholesale specialty division, clients are typically larger globals with specialty needs and they often come with more complex claims. The UK regional markets are made up of SMEs, mid-markets and large corporates with a particular UK focus, a number of which require bespoke services from Aon. 

Given our scale, geography, expertise and tech capabilities, we are able to create unique solutions for them.

What are the main challenges facing claims professionals?

For me, talent acquisition and updating IT infrastructure stand out. 

It seems obvious to say, but talent is absolutely pivotal. Everyone wants the best people. Aon actively invests in attracting and retaining the right individuals through talent programs, mentorship initiatives, and committing to hybrid working arrangements. 

IT is another challenge, but that’s an industry-wide challenge. Systems need to communicate with each other effectively and they also need to be user friendly.

I’ll give you an example, our claims resolution platform is our single source of truth for our claims functions. It monitors trends and industries, and gives us a look at what we’re doing well. It’s very easy to use as well – even for me, and I’m no IT guru. It’s by far one of our most important investments.