Tom McCann

1. How long have you been with Aon and what has your journey in the business looked like?

I’ve been with Aon 26 months solely focused on R&I and the Superannuation business.

2. When exiting the armed forces, what was the most challenging aspect to adapting to corporate life?

Not having any prior commercial experience the biggest challenge I faced was understanding the key drivers of the business ie which activities generated revenue  and how the different departments / groups in the business, and how my role, contributed to those drivers.
 

3. If you were to re-live that period of time, what would you now do differently? 

Been more up-front about of my lack of understanding of the business and its drivers and asked more questions.
 

4. Looking back, what skill(s) from your military career have you found transferable and most valuable?

Problem analysis – specifically, understanding that problems exist within a context and that identification of the characteristics of that context, coupled with knowledge of the capabilities of the resources available to me, are essential to identifying a viable and sustainable solution to the problem.
 

5. If you could give one piece of advice to someone about how to make a successful transition, what would it be?

Be up-front about what you don’t know – ask questions.
 

6. Any other comments?

It would be helpful for the Aon to produce a ‘handbook’ about its lines of business, how revenue is generated and the role each group within that business plays in helping to drive that revenue. This will help the vet to understand their role in achieving the organisations objectives.