Aon has named Vlad Bobko (pictured) global head of strategy for political risk, war risk, and crisis management within its risk capital division. He retains his existing role as chief executive of Central and Eastern Europe and Nordics.

The appointment takes effect immediately. In his global strategy capacity, Bobko will report to Joe Peiser, CEO of Risk Capital. For his regional role, he reports to Kai-Frank Buechter, co-CEO of EMEA.

Bobko joined Aon in 2004 as country manager for Ukraine. He has held regional leadership roles across Central and Eastern Europe since 2010, first as chief broking officer and then as CEO.

Since 2013, he has also led crisis management activities at Aon's Global Broking Centre in London, with oversight of structured credit and political risk teams. His background spans retail and reinsurance markets, where he has advised large local and multinational organisations on specialty risk placements.

Political risk moves to the mainstream

The move reflects mounting pressure from clients facing geopolitical disruption. Armed conflict, trade fragmentation, and supply chain instability have brought political risk and war risk from specialist lines into broader corporate risk transfer discussions.

Aon's 2025 Global Risk Management Survey found geopolitical volatility in the top 10 global risks for the first time in the study's 19-year history. A separate May 2026 Willis report found that attacks on physical infrastructure were the top concern for 65% of respondents. Both findings point to rising demand for political risk, contingent business interruption, and trade credit cover.

The political risk market has also faced structural questions around aggregation and systemic exposure. Single conflict events, such as the war in Ukraine, have affected multiple lines simultaneously. Losses have spanned trade credit, political violence, marine war risk, and directors and officers coverage.

Joe Peiser, CEO of Risk Capital at Aon, said political risk, war risk and crisis management are "increasingly important considerations for organisations operating in a complex and interconnected world." He said Bobko's experience advising clients on those challenges would help shape the firm's strategic approach in the segment.

Buechter said Bobko brought market expertise and a track record of leading across diverse geographies. He said the expanded role would allow Bobko to build on that experience at a global level.

Bobko's background has direct bearing on the appointment. He joined Aon in Kyiv and spent two decades advising clients across Central and Eastern Europe on political risk. That geography has been one of the most active arenas for war risk underwriting since 2022.

In his dual role, Bobko will focus on integrating Aon's Risk Capital capabilities for clients across international markets.