Aon’s Chief Broking Officer, Bob Mann, has resigned from the company to join rival broker JLT.

He and three other senior Aon executives – Placement Director David Stanborough, National Casualty Manager Jeremy Rowsell and facultative reinsurance expert Wayne Holcombe – will join JLT early next year.

Mr Mann has been at Aon since 2005 and was named in February as Steve Lardner’s replacement as the company’s Chief Broking Officer and Head of Broking Services.

At JLT he will chair a new national placement division, and will also be chairman of its specialty division.

Mr Stanborough will join JLT as MD of the national placement division, while Mr Rowsell will be MD of Casualty Placement within the new division.

JLT CEO Leo Demer told staff Mr Rowsell will also work on strategic initiatives within the organisation.

Mr Demer says Mr Holcombe’s role as MD Reinsurance will be distinct from the role of JLT Re and “will primarily be to arrange facultative reinsurance on placements made through the new placement division, with the support of JLT Re as appropriate”.

JLT Leading Placement Broker Harry Georgoulas will also join the national placement division.

“There is no doubt whatsoever that our new colleagues will help take our specialty division to the very top of the corporate broking arena in Australia and New Zealand,” Mr Demer says, adding that further appointments will be made.

He told insuranceNEWS.com.au that JLT has hired “the leaders in the business to provide our clients with a lot better capability”.

He says JLT has wanted to strengthen its specialty business, and the new national placement division will work closely with Speciality MD Andrew Barrowman.

A new speciality operating board to focus on industry segments will be chaired by Mr Mann, with Mr Barrowman as CEO. It will include Messrs Rowsell, Stanborough and Holcombe as well as JLT GM Nick Chubb, MD Echelon Andre Louw, GM Business Development NSW Marcus Pearson and ED Richard van Velzen.

Messrs Mann, Stanborough and Holcombe will work from JLT’s Melbourne office while Mr Rowsell will be based in Sydney.

Mr Mann will report directly to Mr Demer, but he will also be appointed to JLT’s trading board, which Mr Demer says will enable the entire business to benefit from his knowledge and expertise.