Beyond the Headlines: Why Aon & Willis Doubling Down on India Leadership Signals a Strategic Shift 

Global insurance brokers Aon and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) have made key leadership appointments in India, signaling a deep strategic commitment to capturing growth in this booming market. Aon appointed industry veteran Sushant Sarin to drive integrated commercial risk solutions across sectors, leveraging his 30+ years of local expertise and transformation experience. Simultaneously, WTW named Azad Kumar to lead growth specifically in Energy, Construction, and Marine (ECM), directly targeting India’s massive infrastructure surge.

These parallel moves highlight two critical trends: the escalating demand for highly specialized risk advisory services and the intense competition among global brokers to secure top local talent. Both hires underscore a focus on providing sophisticated, sector-specific solutions essential for India’s complex projects and evolving corporate risk landscape. This represents a significant investment in local leadership to harness India’s substantial insurance market potential.

Beyond the Headlines: Why Aon & Willis Doubling Down on India Leadership Signals a Strategic Shift 

The recent high-profile leadership appointments by insurance giants Aon and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in India aren’t just routine personnel changes. They are strategic declarations, underscoring the intense focus global brokers are placing on capturing the immense growth potential of the Indian insurance market, particularly within specialized, high-stakes sectors. 

Aon Bets on Integrated Strategy with Sushant Sarin 

Aon’s appointment of Sushant Sarin as Head of Strategy and Commercial Risk Solutions for India is a move emphasizing integrated risk management and deep industry expertise. Sarin, a 30-year veteran and former President of Tata AIG General Insurance, brings a formidable track record: 

• Proven Scale: Managed reinsurance portfolios exceeding $1.75 billion GWP. 

• Transformation Experience: Led major shifts in underwriting, distribution, and client engagement. 

• Strategic Vision: Credited with “deep industry knowledge” and “strategic foresight” by India CEO Rishi Mehra. 

Sarin’s mandate is clear: Drive Aon’s commercial risk strategy across India, delivering integrated solutions spanning diverse sectors while aligning tightly with global objectives. His focus on “navigating complexity” and “better decisions” reflects the increasing sophistication demanded by Indian corporates facing interconnected risks. This appointment follows strong Q2 2025 results for Aon ($4.2B revenue, 11% YoY growth), signaling confidence to invest aggressively in key growth markets like India. 

Willis Targets Infrastructure Boom with Azad Kumar 

Simultaneously, Willis (WTW) appointed Azad Kumar as Growth Leader for Energy, Construction, and Marine (ECM) in India. This move zeroes in on the country’s unprecedented infrastructure surge: 

• Massive Projects: Offshore construction, port upgrades, expressways, power generation, oil & gas, urban infrastructure. 

• Specialized Needs: These complex projects demand highly tailored risk solutions and deep sector understanding. 

Kumar, with 26 years in Indian insurance and broking, brings crucial “global broking experience” combined with “India-specific execution capabilities,” as noted by Vivek Nath, Head of India at WTW. His expertise spans: 

• Critical Sectors: Offshore construction, energy projects, oil & gas infrastructure, large-scale engineering. 

• Strategic Advisory: Experience advising financial institutions, multilateral organizations, and global reinsurers. 

The Bigger Picture: Specialization & Growth Imperative 

These parallel announcements reveal core strategies shaping the Indian insurance brokerage landscape: 

• The Rise of Specialization: Gone are the days of generic solutions. India’s complex, rapidly evolving economy demands brokers with deep vertical expertise. Aon seeks integration across specialties with Sarin, while Willis doubles down on specific, high-growth verticals (ECM) with Kumar. 

• Local Leadership, Global Backing: Both hires emphasize leaders with extensive local market experience and networks, crucial for navigating India’s unique business environment, while leveraging the global resources and intellectual capital of Aon and WTW. 

• Betting on India’s Trajectory: These investments are fueled by undeniable momentum: 

• India’s insurance sector is experiencing record growth (life insurance premiums alone projected for record highs). 

• The government’s massive infrastructure push (National Infrastructure Pipeline) creates immense demand for complex risk transfer solutions in construction, energy, and marine. 

• Increasing corporate sophistication drives demand for integrated risk advisory beyond basic insurance placement. 

• Competitive Intensity: The strategic focus from both giants highlights the escalating competition to capture market share in India’s lucrative commercial and specialty insurance segments. 

What This Means for the Market: 

• For Clients: Expect more sophisticated, tailored risk advisory services. Brokers are arming themselves with top-tier local leadership to provide deeper industry insights and integrated solutions, potentially leading to better risk management outcomes. 

• For the Industry: This intensifies the war for specialized talent in India. It also raises the bar for service delivery, pushing brokers to demonstrate genuine value and deep sector knowledge. 

• For India’s Growth: Enhanced risk management capabilities provided by globally-backed, locally-expert brokers are essential enablers for the large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects driving India’s economic ambitions. 

In essence, Aon and Willis aren’t just filling seats; they are strategically positioning chess pieces on the high-growth Indian board. Their choices – Sarin for integrated strategy, Kumar for infrastructure specialization – reflect a clear recognition that winning in India requires not just presence, but deep expertise, local leadership, and a sharp focus on the sectors fueling the nation’s development. This signals a new chapter of maturity and fierce competition within the Indian insurance broking market.