Lockton has signed a memorandum of understanding with CPA Australia in Shanghai, giving the insurance broker access to one of the larger professional accounting bodies operating in Greater China, where CPA Australia counts more than 24,000 of its roughly 175,000 global members. It is the second partnership Lockton has struck in two months with an organisation serving Chinese employers’ human capital or finance functions, following an April 2026 deal with human capital management firm CDP Group, and follows two senior Asia people solutions hires made in February 2026. Whether this is the start of a deliberate distribution strategy in China or simply two unrelated deals struck close together is not yet clear from the public record.

What the MOU actually involves

Under the agreement, Lockton and CPA Australia will run joint executive roundtables, industry forums, and seminars on risk management, human capital, and financial strategy. Lockton’s Asia operations have also been recognised under CPA Australia’s employer training program, the Recognised Employer Program (REP), which requires meeting the organisation’s minimum learning and development standards in accounting and finance and allows use of a partner mark in recruitment, according to CPA Australia’s website. A third element, training cooperation between the two organisations, remains undefined in scope.

Of these three components, the access to CPA Australia’s membership network is the one most directly tied to Lockton’s commercial interest. CPA Australia’s Greater China members, who account for roughly 14% of its global base by this publication’s calculation based on the figures above, work in finance and accounting roles that often shape corporate decisions on insurance, benefits design, and workforce risk, according to a CPA Australia statement issued in September 2025. The REP status functions more as a credibility signal than a sales channel.

The pattern this MOU fits into

The CPA Australia deal follows a partnership Lockton formed with CDP Group, also struck at a forum in Shanghai. The April 2026 deal targeted cross-border employee benefits governance and workforce risk management for companies operating in and from China.

Lockton separately appointed a head of life and health reinsurance for people solutions in Asia and a head of people solutions for South Korea in February 2026, moves intended to expand the firm’s regional advisory and brokerage reach. For context, Lockton’s people solutions division grew 27% internationally in fiscal 2026, its fastest-growing segment, and crossed US$1 billion in revenue for the first time, according to the firm’s own results. That figure is global, with no country- or region-specific breakdown disclosed, so it cannot be taken as evidence of momentum in China specifically.

Statements from both sides

Rowena Buddee, chief member experience officer at CPA Australia, said the partnership reflected the organisation’s mission “to empower our members and support business success.” Timothy Hung, head of growth and strategic development for people solutions at Lockton Asia, said the firms’ shared footprint across Asian markets created “significant opportunities to deepen collaboration and jointly support clients and members.” No independent market commentary on the partnership was available at the time of writing.

What would confirm the strategy is working

Signs that this approach is paying off for Lockton in China specifically would likely include an extension or expansion of the CPA Australia agreement, a similar deal with another professional body in the region, or a country-level breakdown of people solutions growth once Lockton discloses one. None of that evidence exists yet: the MOU was signed on June 29, 2026, in Shanghai.