CHICAGO, June 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON) announced that nearly 500 of its financial and investment professionals completed training in responsible investment via the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Academy. The academy is a global leader in environmental, social and governance (ESG) education and training services for financial services, corporate and other professionals seeking to learn how these issues impact company performance, shareholder value and investment decision making.

According to Aon, a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, 82 percent of investors report responsible investing is at least somewhat important to their organization, up from 68 percent in 2018. This growth occurred across all geographic regions and institutional investor types, which include corporate pensions, public pensions, endowments and foundations, and defined contribution plans. The increase in those that believe responsible investing is at least somewhat important, by region:

• UK: 87 percent, up from 66 percent in 2018
• United States: 78 percent, up from 57 percent in 2018
• Canada: 78 percent, up from 68 percent in 2018
• Continental Europe: 85 percent, up from 80 percent in 2018

"Our research shows that demand for responsible investing is growing rapidly and we are committed to supporting our clients on their RI journeys in whatever form they may take," said Meredith Jones, global ESG practice lead for Aon. "Increasingly our clients want to have substantive conversations about environmental, social and governance integration, socially responsible and impact investing the PRI training ensures client-facing and research staff are well-equipped to lead these discussions."

The PRI Academy's global curriculum creates a body of knowledge and common language designed to upskill teams and professionals across investment and capital markets, ranging from introductory courses through to advanced responsible investment analysis. With 9,000 enrolments in over 60 countries, the PRI Academy shares best practices and brings standardization to all corners of the world.

"Aon is determined to be a leader in responsible investment," added Tim Manuel, UK head of responsible investment for Aon. "To achieve that, it is critical that the expertise runs throughout our organization and doesn't just sit with our specialists in responsible investment. By partnering with the PRI Academy, we can ensure that our colleagues and client-facing consultants have a firm grasp of the frameworks and best practices to be able to develop solutions that are fit for the future and provide the best advice and guidance to our clients.

"Organizations are increasingly recognizing that an understanding of the material risks and opportunities around ESG considerations is essential in today's complex world of financial analysis," said PRI chief operating officer Graeme Griffiths. "Training staff to better understand these issues is vital to both corporate and investment performance. Aon has been a long-term advocate of responsible investment and we congratulate them for enhancing this commitment by achieving responsible investment training on such a large scale."

About the PRI
The Principles for Responsible Investment is the world's leading proponent of responsible investment. It works to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions. The PRI acts in the long-term interests of its signatories, of the financial markets and economies in which they operate and ultimately of the environment and society as a whole.

The PRI is truly independent. It encourages investors to use responsible investment to enhance returns and better manage risks, but does not operate for its own profit; it engages with global policymakers but is not associated with any government; it is supported by, but not part of, the United Nations.

Currently, the PRI has over 3,000 signatories who collectively manage in excess of US$90 trillion.

For more information, check out www.unpri.org.

About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Aon is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance. Aon has five specific global solution lines: Commercial Risk Solutions, Reinsurance Solutions, Retirement Solutions, Health Solutions and Data & Analytic Services.

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Media Contact:
Robert Elfinger, robert.elfinger@aon.com, 312-381-0071
Erin Parro, erin.parro@kemperlesnik.com, 312-837-1525