FORTY Under 40: Ryan Williams

Ryan Williams, senior account executive – US, Aon.

Williams graduated with a master of accountancy from the University of Vermont in 2020. During his senior year, he began his journey in captive insurance through an internship at Johnson Lambert, an accounting firm specialising in the captive space. After graduation, he joined Johnson Lambert full time as an audit associate.

In 2021, he joined Aon’s captive management division in Burlington as an accountant and obtained his CPA licence later that year. At Aon, he has benefited from several mentors who helped broaden his perspective on what a long-term career in captive insurance could look like. He progressed through multiple roles and, in May 2025, became a senior account executive. That same year, he earned his associate in risk management (ARM) and associate in captive insurance (ACI) designations.

He currently manages a portfolio of clients while also serving as a people leader with several direct reports. In addition, he is an active member of the hiring committee and plays a key role in overseeing Aon’s robust onboarding process for new hires.

Looking back at your journey over the past year, what accomplishment are you most proud of, and how has becoming a FORTY Under 40 finalist influenced your perspective on that achievement?

I am most proud over the past year of becoming a people leader. Ask any manager I have had during my time at Aon; this was a major career goal. Early on, I realised helping others develop and succeed is what gives me the greatest sense of reward and satisfaction in my work.

"Helping others develop and succeed is what gives me the greatest sense of reward and satisfaction in my work".

Before formally stepping into a leadership role, I found ways to influence and support others. However, becoming a people leader provided a more direct path to that fulfillment. I am constantly thinking about how I can positively impact the days and careers of those around me, whether by sharing experiences, hosting training, leading onboarding efforts, offering advice or simply being available to listen. Each of these actions can meaningfully shape someone’s experience at work, and my goal is always to leave a positive impact on everyone I work with.

What key challenge did you face in your work this year? How did you overcome it  and what did it teach you about leadership at this stage of your career?

As mentioned above, I became a people leader in 2025, which introduced an entirely new set of challenges. In this role, adaptability is critical. One colleague may be in a high-growth phase of their career, while another may be focused on building foundational skills, each requiring a different approach from their manager.

Each experience taught me more about how my direct reports operate and how I can best support their development. Throughout this process, I leaned on more experienced colleagues for guidance, gaining valuable perspectives that helped me approach situations with greater confidence.

Beyond my direct reports, I apply these leadership skills across the client teams I work with, mentoring team members and extending my impact beyond formal reporting lines.

In what ways have you tried to push innovation or rethink traditional approaches within your sector, and what impact has that had on your team or organisation?

We are in an interesting period of innovation, particularly with the growing use of AI. As an industry, we are still determining how these tools can best fit into our work. Alongside AI, there are also opportunities to leverage existing tools better to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

This focus on efficiency has allowed me to dedicate more time to solving complex problems and supporting others. While the direct impact can be seen from a financial perspective, the larger benefit is the downstream effect; having more time to mentor colleagues and providing meaningful support to them and our clients.

I believe the next five to ten years will significantly reshape the day-to-day work in our industry, allowing professionals at all levels to focus more on learning and impacting the business rather than navigating processes.

How do you see your role evolving over the next three to five years, and what initiatives are you most excited to pursue as you continue to grow professionally?

I plan to continue growing my role within the captive insurance industry. I feel I have found a long-term home in captives and am motivated to deepen my technical knowledge while continuing to expand my professional network across the industry. Given the complexity and breadth of captives, there is always more to learn, and that ongoing learning is one of the aspects that excites me most about the path ahead.

The initiative I am most excited to pursue is finding ways to generate greater interest among young professionals in joining the captive industry. While captive formations continue to grow, the accounting profession overall is shrinking, and graduates today have more career paths available to them than ever before. As an industry, we need to be more intentional about exposing students and early career professionals to captives as a viable, engaging, and rewarding option. I essentially “lucked” into the industry early in my career, and I would like to help make it a more widely known and accessible path. A career in captive insurance can span a lifetime and lead in countless directions depending on individual interests and I want to play a role in sharing that story and helping shape the next generation of talent.

Many of the FORTY Under 40 winners are recognised for both business success and broader impact – how do you balance professional excellence with contributions to your community or industry landscape?

I try to be mindful of this balance throughout the year, as it is easy to become fully absorbed in work when so much of our time and energy is dedicated to our careers. One way I give back is through participation in charitable events, such as golf tournaments, 5K races and supporting causes that are meaningful to me. Finding ways to contribute through activities that naturally fit into my life has helped me stay engaged without losing that balance.

As I continue to grow professionally, I would also like to become more involved in industry education and outreach. There are various organisations, conferences and forums within the captive and insurance space where sharing experiences and knowledge can make a meaningful impact. Contributing to education efforts, whether through speaking, mentoring, or participation in industry groups, is an area I am increasingly interested in as I look to give back to the industry that has played such a significant role in my career.

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