Aon flags resilience as key to Australian business

Aon has released a megatrends report on resilience for Australian businesses, arguing that interconnected risks are reshaping operations and investment decisions.

The professional services firm examines how trade, technology, weather and workforce pressures interact across operations, people, capital and strategy. It says businesses can protect value and pursue growth by building more flexibility into decision-making.

The report focuses on critical dependencies within organisations and the effects of concentrated exposure to single suppliers, technologies, infrastructure or specialist skills. It says those weak points can become more visible when external conditions shift quickly.

Weather is identified as one source of disruption, affecting physical assets, supply chains and workforce availability. The report also highlights changes in global trade that can alter access to supplies and technology while increasing operating costs.

Technology investment is another theme, with artificial intelligence featuring prominently. Aon links AI spending to questions around infrastructure, governance and workforce skills, arguing that companies need to align those factors to turn investment into business value.

Data from Aon's 2026 Human Capital Trends Study shows 73% of organisations globally have deployed or are piloting AI, while 18% say most of their workforce was reskilled or upskilled in the previous year. The gap suggests many businesses are adopting technology faster than they are preparing staff for it.

Four lenses

The report recommends that leaders assess major decisions through four connected lenses: capital, operations, people and risk. It says this approach can help organisations identify dependencies, weigh trade-offs and decide where added flexibility may create value.

The framework reflects a broader shift in how resilience is discussed in boardrooms. Rather than treating it solely as crisis preparation, the report presents resilience as a factor in day-to-day strategic choices involving investment, staffing and supply arrangements.

Kevan Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of Australia at Aon, said resilience now sits closer to core management decisions.

"Resilience is no longer simply about preparing for disruption. It is about giving organisations the flexibility and confidence to keep making decisions when circumstances change," said Kevan Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of Australia at Aon.

He said this starts with identifying where a business is most exposed.

"For business leaders in Australia, that means understanding critical dependencies and making deliberate choices about where resilience can create the greatest value," said Johnston.

Workforce gap

The workforce dimension is central to the report's findings. While companies continue to invest in AI and other technologies, it says those investments can fall short if employees are not prepared to use new tools or adapt to changing operating models.

The report argues that workforce readiness should be considered alongside technical and financial planning. It points to skills development, governance structures and reliable data systems as factors that influence whether technology projects deliver the outcomes organisations expect.

Trade conditions are also part of the same risk picture. Changes in international markets can have knock-on effects on supply chains, access to technology and input costs, meaning decisions in one area can quickly affect another.

By framing these issues together, Aon positions resilience as a cross-functional issue rather than a narrow risk management exercise. The report suggests business leaders should examine how exposures in one part of an organisation may affect performance elsewhere.

Johnston said the aim is to embed that thinking in major business decisions.

"The opportunity is to build resilience into major business decisions, giving leaders greater confidence to invest, adapt and pursue growth," said Johnston.