Press Release

Aon Launches First-to-Market Employee Benefits Cell Captive Facility to Improve Risk Management for Multinational Employers

Issued by Aon plc

Mar. 4, 2025

DUBLIN – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has announced the launch of its Employee Benefits (EB) Cell Captive facility, a first-to-market innovation that transforms how multinational companies manage risk and finance employee benefits. This new solution integrates Aon’s Risk Capital and Human Capital capabilities to offer an alternative risk transfer strategy that enables clients to self-insure employee benefits risks in a simplified manner.

As healthcare costs rise and demand for customized benefits grows, Aon's EB Cell Captive facility presents a flexible, scalable and cost-effective alternative to traditional insurance structures. Cell Captives have been used as a trusted risk-financing tool in the property and casualty sector for over 25 years and Aon is pioneering its application to multinational employee benefit programs.

In Aon’s 2025 Employee Sentiment Study, 72 percent of employees worldwide indicated they consider benefit customization important, yet only 41 percent currently have access to personalized benefits. As employers work to deliver on these expectations, risk management tools, like traditional captives, provide design flexibility and can offer personalized and local benefits. Traditional captives may be out-of-reach for some due to the resources needed to integrate EB.

The EB Cell Captive facility resolves these challenges and provides a streamlined solution that allows businesses to retain the advantages of a captive structure without the administrative burden and high capital investment associated with traditional captives. Leveraging Aon's Protected Cell Company, White Rock, the facility offers the value of a traditional captive employee benefits structure, but with reduced operating costs, accelerated time-to-market and significantly reduced local change management efforts.  

"Multinational organizations need agile benefits strategies to keep their employees thriving and build a resilient workforce," said Michael Pedel, head of global benefits at Aon. "However, businesses can face difficulties integrating risk management and employee benefits due to historical operating in silos. By uniting our Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, we are helping organizations make better decisions, enabling employers to enhance their benefits strategies while gaining greater control over costs and risk transfer mechanisms."

"The rising costs of healthcare and employee benefits require businesses to think differently about how they manage risk," added Ciaran Healy, global captive leader for Commercial Risk Solutions at Aon. "This facility provides an efficient and accessible way for organizations to leverage cell captives for employee benefits – an option that was previously unavailable to clients."

The EB Cell Captive facility is designed for multinational companies with international employee benefit programs with a benefits spend of over $2 million annually.

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 protect and grow their businesses.

Follow Aon on LinkedIn, X , Facebook  and Instagram . Stay up-to-date by visiting Aon’s newsroom and sign up for news alerts here.

Editor's note: This press release has been issued by the company named above, not BenefitsLink. Reliance on information in this press release might be prudent only after an independent review of its accuracy, completeness, efficacy, and timeliness. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by BenefitsLink.