Global insurance and reinsurance broking group Aon has strengthened its digital infrastructure lifecycle solutions advisory with the appointment of Stephen Fox as managing director, while Brian Hearst takes on the role of global head of digital infrastructure builder risk.
As demand for data centers, cloud capacity and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure continues to grow, organizations face increasingly complex financing and insurance challenges.
The two appointments are designed to align Aon’s underwriting appetite, technology risk insights and access to diverse sources of capital early in the project life cycle.
In his new role, Fox will work within the brokerage’s Digital Infrastructure Lifecycle Solutions practice, which is led by Aon Venture Capital CEO Joe Peiser. Fox will operate at the intersection of underwriting preference, risk capital strategy and technology design as the business works to support clients in building large-scale digital infrastructure investments to ensure optimal capacity, terms and diverse sources of risk capital.
Fox has more than three decades of experience in property risk engineering, resilience, business continuity and risk consulting, with expertise in digital infrastructure, technology manufacturing, energy and other mission-critical assets.
In the past, he has held senior leadership positions at Marsh and JLT Specialty, and has held risk engineering and consulting positions at GlobalFoundries, Intel, Samsung and FM.
Fox commented: “I am delighted to join Aon at a time when digital infrastructure risk and capital considerations are converging in new ways.
“By integrating design intent, resiliency and risk mitigation with underwriting and capital expectations early on, we are materially improving outcomes for our clients, from access to capacity to long-term capital efficiency.”
At the same time, Hurst will be responsible for advancing Aon’s global builder risk strategy, supporting clients in the delivery of large-scale, complex construction projects in digital infrastructure, life sciences and other capital-intensive sectors.
He joined Aon in 2018 and has since worked closely with major developers and investors in large-scale projects across North America, Europe and Asia, helping clients structure and deploy builders’ risk plans to support execution certainty and long-term resiliency.
Hurst brings nearly four decades of experience in claims, underwriting, brokerage and risk management, providing a multi-dimensional perspective on construction risk and project design.
“Builder risk is a key enabler for clients as they bring complex projects to market. I’m excited to take on this role and work with colleagues around the world to continue to deliver strong execution, deep expertise and consistent results to help clients navigate the increasingly complex construction environment,” Hurst said.
Peiser commented on the appointments: “As digital infrastructure becomes more capital intensive and systemically important, clients need advisors who can bridge technology risk, underwriting appetite and access to diverse sources of capital. These appointments reinforce our commitment to delivering comprehensive risk capital strategies that help clients manage volatility, unlock capacity and build resilience into their most complex assets.”