Aon has introduced a new leadership and governance structure for its Reinsurance Solutions business in Germany, effective Oct. 1, 2026. Phillip Esser has been appointed CEO of Reinsurance Solutions in Germany and will be based in Hamburg.
Esser brings extensive experience across the reinsurance market, including long-standing relationships with clients in Germany.
He will lead the next stage of Aon’s reinsurance business in the country, with responsibility for commercial development, client service and coordination across the firm’s specialist capabilities.
Volker Wahl will become executive chairman of Reinsurance Solutions in Germany. Wahl has spent 36 years in reinsurance, including almost 25 years at Aon, and will work with Esser and the German management team on major client relationships, talent development and business growth.
The appointments form part of Aon’s broader restructuring of its German reinsurance operations.
The company plans to combine treaty and facultative capabilities with analytics and advisory services through a more coordinated operating structure, giving clients access to local specialists alongside Aon’s international reinsurance teams.
Aon is making the changes as part of a planned succession process ahead of Jan-Oliver Thofern’s retirement on Jan. 1, 2027. Thofern has spent more than 30 years with Aon and will remain with the business through the end of 2026 as an adviser to Esser.
During his tenure, Thofern helped develop Aon’s reinsurance operations in Germany and managed relationships with major insurance clients. His remaining months at the company will support the transfer of responsibilities to the new leadership structure.
Aon will also establish a Board of Reinsurance for Germany as part of the governance changes. The board will include Phillip Esser, Tomas Novotny, Alexander Partmann, Arno Achterberg, Andreas Froehlich, Stephan Schuetzeck and Volker Wahl.
The board brings together executives with experience across Aon’s German and international reinsurance operations. Its remit will cover governance and long-term business development, alongside coordination between management and specialist teams serving insurers and reinsurers in the country.
“Jan-Oliver has made an outstanding contribution to Aon over more than three decades and played a central role in establishing our firm as a leading reinsurance platform in Germany,” said Tomas Novotny, chairman international and CEO of EMEA, Reinsurance Solutions at Aon.
- Novotny said the succession plan draws on Aon’s existing management team, with Esser bringing market experience and established client relationships to the CEO position. Wahl, he added, will provide senior market experience and strategic oversight, while the new board will support continuity and governance across the German operation.
- Esser and Wahl will work with colleagues across Aon’s EMEA business and its wider Reinsurance Solutions platform. Their teams will support insurers and reinsurers dealing with market volatility, changing exposures and pressure on capital.
Aon will continue providing analytics, advisory services and access to reinsurance markets for clients in Germany. The business will focus on helping insurers assess risk, manage capital and pursue profitable growth as market conditions change.
