Kristi Savacool
CEO
Aon Hewitt
Q: Where is the firm today?
A: Aon Hewitt is building on its position as the HR industry leader with a portfolio of distinctive solutions serving both organizations and individuals across the categories of talent, retirement and health.
As we close out 2013, Aon Hewitt is well positioned both for 2014 and for long-term profitable growth. If I had to choose one surprise for the year, it would be the velocity of client interest in U.S. health care exchanges. We have been at the forefront of finding new and innovative approaches to help companies determine their future path in health care, and that includes private health exchanges.
Our firm's leadership in the private health exchange space has created a dynamic new marketplace for companies that are looking to offer increased choice and fully insured, multi-carrier competition. For example, the number of new employers that joined Aon Hewitt's exchange in 2014 is five times the number that participated in 2013. In total, we anticipate more than 330,000 U.S. employees and their families will be covered under plans in the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange in 2014. That's up from just 100,000 in 2013.
Q: How would you describe the firm's outlook for 2014?
A: During earnings, Aon described expectations for Aon Hewitt to achieve adjusted operating income growth "greater than mid-single-digits" in 2014, representing year over year improvement in profitability versus the mid-single-digit growth expected for fiscal year 2013.
Q: How do you see the consulting profession evolving in 2014?
A: There is a growing base of consulting leveraging analytics and fact-based, big data. We are increasingly bringing analytics solutions to our clients, and we are also working with highly innovative clients to develop new talent analytics offerings. We expect this trend of increasing analytics solutions to continue and develop some new market innovations in the consulting space. The business world is constantly changing and the changes we're seeing in talent, retirement and health have a big influence on what Aon Hewitt does every day for our clients, whether it's helping them attract and retain talent, ensuring their employees are financially secure, or providing health solutions that provide greater choice, affordability and wellness.
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