Aon vs Beazley: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Beazley describes excess Side A coverage; Aon describes broker-designed Side A/B/C structure. 3,8

What Is Aon?

Aon’s U.S. Commercial Risk terms describe brokerage for certain insurance programs, while its Middle Market page describes a dedicated practice for mid-sized organizations across North America. The public materials reviewed do not identify the licensed producer or insurer for a particular placement. Ask which entity will produce each line and which insurer will issue the policy; request jurisdiction details for the proposed placement and ask how compensation and claim notice work for your account. 1,2

Read the Aon profile

Read the Aon D&O Insurance page

What Is Beazley?

Beazley’s MediaTech combines technology E&O, media and cyber, while Execuguard offers separate or shared executive-risk limits; small businesses seeking a quick standard quote should compare digital carriers. 4,5,6,7

Read the Beazley profile

Read the Beazley D&O Insurance page

What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

D&O insurance can help pay covered defense costs and losses from claims against company leaders over management decisions. If your organization has a board or executives, check whether the company itself is insured and whether legal bills reduce the limit. 9,10,11

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in D&O Insurance

Excess Side A and Program Design

Beazley describes excess Side A coverage for directors and officers when the company cannot indemnify them, while Aon explains Side A alongside Side B reimbursement and Side C entity coverage. Compare the excess attachment point and limit with the full program Aon designs, especially where corporate indemnification may fail. 8 3

Insurer Product and Broker Role

Beazley presents D&O products for private companies, while Aon arranges coverage among carriers. Ask Beazley which product and underlying limits apply, and ask Aon which insurers considered the risk; the actual forms determine defense, exclusions and claims handling. 8 3

What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Beazley for the Side A attachment point, limit and underlying requirements; ask Aon for carrier and Side A/B/C structure. 8

Review Scores

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.

Aon

6.1/ 10

Review Score

3 rated sources

Public ratings for Aon are low: Trustpilot shows 1.2 out of 5 from 782 reviews, and BBB shows 1.6 from five. Aon is a global firm, so those pages mostly reflect other parts of the business, not large U.S. commercial accounts.[4][6][7]

Read Aon reviews

Beazley

5.6/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Beazley’s available customer feedback is mixed, with a 2.8/5 WalletHub rating from 15 reviews. That small, mixed-product sample gives business buyers limited guidance.[3][9]

Read Beazley reviews

Offering Details

Aon vs Beazley: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaAon Directors and Officers Liability brokerage and risk-advisory offeringBeazley D&O – Private Companies
Role in This Line

Aon markets D&O broking and advisory services, including insurer selection and program design. It does not issue the described coverage or name the carrier for a buyer’s placement. 3Company-reported. Aon’s official global product/capability page. The statement is limited to Aon’s marketing of brokerage or advisory services, not policy issuance.

Beazley underwrites private-company directors and officers (D&O) liability itself, offered as a standalone product on its D&O - Private Companies page and bundled with employment practices and fiduciary liability coverage in its ExecuGuard package policy. 8,6Company-reported. US private-company D&O as described on the two reviewed product pages; does not establish which entity issues a particular policy.

Issuing Insurer

The reviewed page does not identify the insurer or the legal producing entity for a specific placement. Ask Aon to identify both for the quoted risk. 3Not found in reviewed sources. Aon’s global product/capability page reviewed 2026-09-30; no buyer quote, binder or policy was reviewed. This does not establish that no insurer or producing entity is available.

Neither the D&O - Private Companies page nor the ExecuGuard page names the specific Beazley insurance entity that issues the policy; ExecuGuard states both admitted and non-admitted versions are available, so the issuing carrier depends on the policy placed. 8,6Not found in reviewed sources. Both product pages as read on 2026-09-23; the issued policy's declarations control the actual insurer.

Who It’s For

Aon describes D&O services for public and private companies and discusses executives, directors, managers and board members. This is a target-audience description, not an underwriting eligibility schedule. 3Company-reported. Audience stated by Aon on its global capability page; this does not establish a specific applicant’s eligibility or placement availability by U.S. state.

The D&O page targets privately held companies of all sizes facing litigation such as employment allegations, fraud and misrepresentation claims, without a stated employee-count or revenue threshold on that page. 8,6Company-reported. Private-company D&O only; ExecuGuard buyers can additionally choose to share limits across D&O, EPL and fiduciary coverages.

Coverage Features

Aon explains D&O policies generally through Side A individual protection when company indemnity is unavailable, Side B reimbursement when the company indemnifies a director or officer, and Side C entity coverage, with different descriptions for public and private companies. It notes exclusions can apply; an issued policy determines the actual scope. 3Company-reported. Aon’s broker-authored explanation of the insurance line. It does not establish an individual insured’s policy entitlement; the insurer’s form, endorsements and declarations control.

The D&O product lets the policyholder choose between a "duty to defend" or "pay on behalf" claim-handling structure, and Beazley says it pays 100% of defense costs for covered loss. 8Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; actual defense obligations and cost-sharing are set by the issued policy.

Beazley offers a dedicated additional Excess Side A limit for individual directors and officers, plus an optional employed-lawyers errors-and-omissions extension. 8Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; availability and pricing of the extension depend on underwriting.

Limits and Retentions

The reviewed page does not state a standard buyer-specific limit, retention or deductible for this placement. Confirm amounts, sublimits and conditions in the quote and issued policy. 3Not publicly disclosed. Aon’s global product/capability page reviewed 2026-09-30; no buyer quote or policy form was reviewed.

Beazley advertises private-company D&O limits up to US $20 million, on either an admitted or non-admitted (surplus lines) basis; actual limits and retentions are set by underwriting and appear on the declarations. 8,6Company-reported. Advertised maximum capacity, not a guaranteed quote amount.

Risk Services

Aon says its brokerage and claims teams collaborate on coverage negotiations and describes insurer-selection analytics and a D&O Risk Analyzer. Those are broker services, not an insurer claim decision or guarantee. 3Company-reported. Company-reported brokerage and advisory services. Account-specific service terms are not stated.

D&O policyholders get pre-approved choice-of-counsel flexibility, and law-firm insureds can access a bespoke executive-risk wording through Beazley's related Practice Protect product. 8Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; scope and terms of the Practice Protect wording were not independently reviewed.

How to Apply

Confirm in your quote.

Beazley lists a downloadable EPL renewal application as a tool on the D&O page and names regional Executive Risk underwriters and brokers as contacts, but the reviewed page does not describe a self-service online quoting flow for new D&O business. 8Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page as read on 2026-09-23; buyers typically work through a broker or underwriter contact.

Claims Support

Confirm in your quote.

Beazley illustrates its D&O claims approach with a securities class-action and shareholder derivative-action scenario in which its claims team worked with the insured's defense counsel toward a dismissal, avoiding a settlement; this is a single company-reported example, not audited claims-outcome data. 6Company-reported. ExecuGuard page scenario section; outcome statistics are not independently verified.

Full Comparison

More Aon vs Beazley Comparisons

Other D&O Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Aon

  1. Commercial Risk Solutions U.S. Brokerage Terms of Service. Aon; Lines 120–127: certain-program broker-of-record scope, consultation, application assistance, client signature and bind instruction, and account administration; lines 140–147: variable and contingent compensation, potential placement incentive, and client request route; lines 206–213: no price guarantee and surplus-lines limitations; lines 229–231: client insurer-notice duty unless separately agreed. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Middle Market Clients. Aon; Lines 125–132: mid-sized organizations and middle-market framing; lines 165–173: dedicated practice and North America statement; lines 188–224: Commercial Risk capabilities. No numeric company-size cutoff or U.S.-only eligibility rule is stated on the reviewed page. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Directors’ and Officers’ (D&O) Liability Insurance. Aon; D&O audience and coverage explanation, lines 123–160; insurer-selection, brokerage and claims collaboration, analytics and industry specialization, lines 171–189; contact link at top. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Beazley

  1. MediaTech for Small Businesses. Beazley; Opening product description; What we offer: E&O (Tech and Professional), Media, Cyber coverage includes; How can we help; SME placement paragraph; Tools & Resources. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary). Beazley; What we offer: separate or shared limits among EPL, D&O and fiduciary; Limits up to US $20,000,000, both admitted and non-admitted available; Examples or Scenarios: California securities class action/derivative action. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  3. Virtual Care. Beazley; Available Coverages; Who we can help; Where is this offered. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. D&O - Private Companies. Beazley; What we offer; How can we help: duty to defend/pay on behalf, 100% defense for covered loss, Excess Side A limit, private placement coverage, Practice Protect for lawyers; Up to US $20,000,000; Tools & Resources: EPL_RenewalApp. Accessed 2026-09-23.

D&O Insurance Guide

  1. Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. The Chubb Primary Directors & Officers and Entity Securities Liability Insurance. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; hosted by eperils; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; I and III.A–B pp.1–2; VI Reporting pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; Header p.1 and VI.A pp.6–7. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.

Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.

Talk to Spot