Research & Innovation

Aon, a leading provider of services in the area of Risk Management, Insurance, HR and Retirement Solutions, is making a significant additional investment in its Dublin-based Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics (ACIA) through the creation of 30 new highly skilled roles. The Centre, one of only two in the world, opened in 2008 and already employs 100 people.

The project is being supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland.

The ACIA team, based at Aon Ireland’s headquarters in Dublin city centre, supports clients and Aon team members across the globe through the provision of advanced insurance research, analytics and business intelligence. The ability to provide these insights is a key differentiator for Aon as it empowers both its own employees and clients to make informed decisions based on the analysis of significant quantities of data. The ACIA team in Dublin has designed and developed the world’s largest proprietary platform of insurance placement data. The ability to analyse this data on behalf of clients gives Aon a unique competitive edge globally.

Constantin Beier, CEO, the Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics, says: “This investment highlights Aon’s commitment to innovation and analytics and demonstrates the growing use of data and business intelligence by the insurance industry. The calibre of our Dublin based team, our analytical tools and the nature of the insights that we share with clients across the globe is a real differentiator for Aon.”

“Aon’s decision to deepen its commitment through the creation of an additional 30 permanent positions at its Centre for Innovation and Analytics is a major vote of confidence in Ireland’s reputation as a leading location for investment in innovation, analytics and technology,” says Richard Bruton, TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. “This is an area that we have targeted as part of our Action Plan for Jobs. We welcome the support of Aon and are delighted to see its employee base continue to grow in Ireland.”

Chairman of the ACIA, Stephen Cross, comments: “Aon’s vision is to lead the industry in the area of data analytics and business intelligence. Through the team in Dublin and our second centre in Singapore, we are already meeting the evolving demands of our clients in over 120 countries across the globe by equipping them with the level of insight and analysis that is not available anywhere else. The insurance industry is built on the platform of risk management and mitigation. For everyday issues such as car insurance, as well as complex matters such as high tech manufacturing or aviation, the cost of a risk can’t be determined by gut feel. We can provide our team throughout the world and our clients with data and business intelligence which helps them to make informed decisions about the risks that they face.”

IDA Ireland has welcomed the new investment. Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland, says: “Aon’s Centre for Innovation and Analytics is at the cutting edge of providing analytics to the insurance industry and strengthens Ireland’s reputation as a location for research and development in the international insurance sector. The area of Analytics is a key strategic focus in IDA’s Horizon 2020 strategy.”

Aon plans to recruit 30 highly-qualified people for its Centre in Dublin by March 2014. The new roles will strengthen ACIA’s expertise in the domains of IT specifically in data warehousing, database management, application development, business intelligence and data visualization as well as in Data Science – in the areas of statistics, data modelling and predictive analytics.