- Kai-Frank Buechter and Tracy-Lee Kus will serve as co-CEOs of EMEA with Buechter overseeing Continental Europe and North Africa and Kus overseeing the UK, Ireland, South Africa and the Middle East; Pedro Penalva will serve as CEO of Latin America
- Julie Page and Alejandro Galizia to support the leadership transition through 2026 as chairs of EMEA and Latin America, respectively, then serve as senior advisors to Aon into 2027
DUBLIN, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, today announced that Kai-Frank Buechter and Tracy-Lee Kus will serve as co-CEOs of EMEA, effective June 1, with Buechter overseeing Continental Europe and North Africa and Kus responsible for the UK, Ireland, South Africa and the Middle East. Additionally, Pedro Penalva will serve as CEO of Latin America, effective July 1.
Buechter, Kus and Penalva will report to Greg Case, president and CEO of Aon, and serve on the Aon Executive Committee. Alfonso Gallego de Chaves will serve as Deputy CEO of EMEA, effective June 1, and Andrea Parisi will serve as chair of Continental Europe, effective January 1, 2027, both reporting to Buechter. The firm’s North America and APAC regions remain under the leadership of Anne Corona and Jennifer Richards, respectively.
“As we continue to accelerate our Aon United strategy to serve clients with distinction at a time of rising need, we are excited to announce new regional responsibilities for Kai-Frank, Tracy-Lee and Pedro to help advance how we deliver for clients in and across our regions,” said Case.
Buechter brings a wealth of experience from his more than 26-year career with Aon, most recently serving as CEO of Aon’s DACH region with responsibilities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Previously, Buechter served as CEO of Aon Risk Solutions Germany, chairman of the Management Board of Aon Holdings Deutschland GmbH and chief commercial officer of Aon Risk Solutions Germany, among other management and client-serving leadership roles.
“Clients across EMEA face rising volatility and complexity,” said Buechter. “I’m excited to partner with Tracy-Lee to build on our momentum in delivering actionable insights, differentiated Risk Capital and Human Capital capabilities and leading expertise to our clients.”
Kus brings more than three decades of experience across underwriting and broking, with a global career spanning South Africa, the UK and Asia. Kus most recently served as CEO of Aon’s Global Broking Center, shaping market strategy, strengthening access to global capacity and delivering differentiated solutions for clients. Kus is supporting the process to fill her Global Broking Center responsibilities and will remain in this role until a new leader is identified. Previously, Kus served as Head of Commercial Risk for Aon’s APAC region and before that held a number of senior leadership roles across the firm, including head of North Asia, strategic account manager for some of the world’s largest financial institutions and leader of Aon’s Financial and Professional Services business in the UK. Kus also serves as chair of the London and International Insurance Brokers’ Association (LIIBA).
“It is a privilege to lead Aon’s presence in EMEA with Kai-Frank,” said Kus. “I’m looking forward to further advancing the work of our high-performing teams to deliver market-leading capabilities and expertise to our clients.”
Since Penalva joined Aon more than 15 years ago, he has served in various client, country and regional leadership roles. Most recently, as head of Enterprise Clients for EMEA, Penalva helped to deliver Aon’s globally-integrated capabilities to more than 150 enterprise clients across 10 countries in the region. Previously, Penalva served as CEO of Iberia, Africa and Israel, chief commercial officer of multinational accounts for EMEA, Global Client Network Director for EMEA and CEO of Aon Portugal. Penalva is supporting the process to fill his EMEA Enterprise Client responsibilities and will remain in this role until a new leader is identified.
“It is a profound honor to lead Aon in Latin America and to serve our colleagues and clients across the region,” said Penalva. “At a moment when our clients are navigating unprecedented complexity and volatility, the strength of our integrated capabilities, the depth of our expertise and the relevance of our globally-connected firm have never been more consequential. I look forward to advancing our strategy in close partnership with an exceptional team that defines what makes Aon distinctive.”
With this transition, EMEA CEO Julie Page and Latin America CEO Alejandro Galizia will serve as chairs of EMEA and Latin America through 2026, respectively, and then serve as senior advisors to Aon into 2027. Jane Kielty will be supporting with the transition of the leadership responsibilities in the UK, Ireland and South Africa.
Case added: “We are grateful to Julie, Jane and Alejandro for their leadership, the significant contributions they made in serving our clients and building our firm, and the teams they have developed who will carry our work forward.”
Page said: “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together during the first phase of our 3×3 Plan. Now is the right time for the next generation of leaders to take the business forward, and I’m excited to support them as they build on this strong momentum.”
Galizia added: “After more than 25 years at Aon, I feel an immense sense of pride reflecting on the journey we have built together across Latin America. I have had the privilege of witnessing — and contributing to — Aon’s transformation into the firm it is today. More than anything, it is our people, their values, and their passion that have made this journey truly meaningful and I am excited about the future of the Latin America region under the Pedro’s leadership.”
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries and sovereignties with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.
Follow Aon on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Stay up-to-date by visiting the Aon Newsroom and sign up for News Alerts here.
Media Contact
[email protected]
Toll-free (U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico): +1 833 751 8114
International: +1 312 381 3024
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 in over 120 countries provide our clients 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.
