Global insurance brokerage Hub International in March 2018 announced that it has acquired the assets of Spectra Management. Headquartered in Sandy, Utah, Spectra specializes in helping companies create employee benefits packages that ‘achieve the delicate balance between financial goals and company culture’. Through its retirement division, Spectra provides 401(k) retirement services, fiduciary risk management services, investment due diligence, plan and compliance review, provider services and benchmarking, and wealth management.

Middle East countries are making fast-paced regulatory reforms to the health insurance industry for half a decade, and healthcare sectors and insurance industries have seen a surge in mergers and acquisitions activity.

GBV: Let’s start our discussion with the highlights of your career, and your focus on global pensions. Thierry Verkest: Aon is the leading global professional services firm providing risk, retirement, and health solutions. I am based in Brussels; I’ve always worked in Belgium, and for more than 25 years I’ve helped international organizations manage the design and financing of their pension funds. We have offices all over the world

Three months after the December 2017 announcement that CVS Health had purchased Aetna, their respective shareholders on March 13, 2018 voted to approve the proposed $69 billion merger of the companies at special meetings. As discussed in an earlier post, the acquisition sets the stage for a new type of company that will include a health insurer, a retail pharmacy, and a pharmacy benefits manager that negotiates prescription drug