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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission file number 1-7933

Aon plc

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Metropolitan Building, James Joyce Street, Dublin 1, Ireland D01 K0Y8

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

+353 1 266 6000

(Registrant’s Telephone Number,

Including Area Code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

Number of class A ordinary shares of Aon plc, $0.01 nominal value, outstanding as of October 28, 2021: 220,332,406

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

INFORMATION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains certain statements related to future results, or states our intentions, beliefs, and expectations or predictions for the future, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements represent management’s expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “probably,” “potential,” “looking forward,” “continue,” and other similar terms, and future or conditional tense verbs like “could,” “may,” “might,” “should,” “will,” and “would.” You can also identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. For example, we may use forward-looking statements when addressing topics such as: market and industry conditions, including competitive and pricing trends; changes in our business strategies and methods of generating revenue; the development and performance of our services and products; changes in the composition or level of our revenues; our cost structure and the outcome of cost-saving or restructuring initiatives; the outcome of contingencies; dividend policy; the expected impact of acquisitions, dispositions, and other significant transactions or the termination thereof, such as the termination of the Combination (as defined in Note 6 “Acquisitions and Dispositions of Businesses” of this report) and the divestitures planned in connection with the Combination; litigation and regulatory matters, including potential litigation relating to the Combination; pension obligations; cash flow and liquidity; expected effective tax rate; future actions by regulators; and the impact of changes in accounting rules. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from either historical or anticipated results depending on a variety of factors. Potential factors, which may be revised or supplemented in subsequent reports filed or furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), that could impact results include:

• changes in the competitive environment or damage to our reputation;

• fluctuations in currency exchange and interest rates that could impact our financial condition or results;

• changes in global equity and fixed income markets that could affect the return on invested assets;

• changes in the funded status of our various defined benefit pension plans and the impact of any increased pension funding resulting from those changes;

• the level of our debt and the terms thereof reducing our flexibility or increasing borrowing costs;

• rating agency actions that could limit our access to capital and our competitive position;

• our global tax rate being subject to a variety of different factors, which could create volatility in that tax rate;

• changes in our accounting estimates and assumptions on our financial statements;

• limits on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or otherwise make payments to us;

• the impact of legal proceedings and other contingencies, including those arising from the termination of the Combination and divestitures planned in connection with the Combination, errors and omissions and other claims against us;

• the impact of, and potential challenges in complying with, laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate, particularly given the global nature of operations and the possibility of differing or conflicting laws and regulations, or the application or interpretation thereof, across such jurisdictions;

• the impact of any regulatory investigations brought in Ireland, the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”), the United States (the “U.S.”). and other countries;

• failure to protect intellectual property rights or allegations that we have infringed on the intellectual property rights of others;

• general economic and political conditions in the countries in which we do business around the world, including the withdrawal of the U.K. from the European Union (the “E.U.”);

• the failure to retain, attract and develop experienced and qualified personnel;

• international risks associated with our global operations;

• the effects of natural or man-made disasters, including the effects of the COVID-19 and other health pandemics;

• the potential for a system or network disruption or breach to result in operational interruption or improper disclosure of confidential, personal, or proprietary data;

• our ability to develop and implement new technology;

• damage to our reputation among clients, colleagues, markets or third parties;

• the actions taken by third parties that perform aspects of our business operations and client services;

• the extent to which we are exposed to certain risks, including lawsuits, related to our actions we may take in acting in a being responsible for making decisions on behalf of clients in our investment consulting business or in other advisory services that we currently provide, or will provide in the future;

• our ability to continue, and the costs and risks associated with, growing, developing and integrating acquired business, and entering into new lines of business or products;

• changes in commercial property and casualty markets, commercial premium rates or methods of compensation;

• our ability to implement initiatives intended to yield cost savings and the ability to achieve those cost savings;

• the effects of Irish law on our operating flexibility and the enforcement of judgments against us; and

• the impact of the termination of the Combination and divestitures planned in connection with the Combination, the resolution of potential litigation relating to the termination of the Combination and divestitures planned in connection with the Combination, the inability to realize the expected benefits from the Combination, the payment of the Termination Fee (as defined in Part I, Item 2, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations) in connection with the termination of the Combination, significant transaction costs in connection with the terminated Combination, and divestitures that had been planned in connection with the Combination; the potential impact of the termination of the Combination, and divestitures planned in connection with the Combination, on relationships, including with suppliers, customers, employees and regulators.

Any or all of our forward-looking statements may turn out to be inaccurate, and there are no guarantees about our performance. The factors identified above are not exhaustive. We and our subsidiaries operate in a dynamic business environment in which new risks may emerge frequently. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they are made. We are under no obligation (and expressly disclaim any obligation) to update or alter any forward-looking statement that we may make from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Further information about factors that could materially affect Aon, including our results of operations and financial condition, is contained in the “Risk Factors” section in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

These factors may be revised or supplemented in our subsequent periodic filings with the SEC.

Table of Contents

Part I Financial Information