Hello, welcome to the 2026 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Aon. It is now my pleasure to turn today's meeting over to Lester Knight, Chairman of the company's Board of Directors. Mr. Knight, the floor is yours.
Thank you. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Lester Knight, Chairman of Aon's Board of Directors. At this time, it's my pleasure to welcome all of you to Aon's 2026 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, which is being held in Dublin, Ireland. We also have shareholders who are joining us virtually through our meeting center website. We are joined by representatives of Broadridge, who have been appointed to serve as Inspector of Election at today's meeting, and representatives of Ernst & Young LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm. In accordance with the notice of the meeting, given that it is now past 8:30 A.M. local Dublin time, I'm informed that there's a quorum present. I declare the Annual General Meeting is open. There are seven items of business on today's agenda on which to vote will be taken.
These agenda items are as set forth in the proxy material sent to shareholders on or about April 28th, 2026. Furthermore, we are formally laying before the meeting for consideration by shareholders the company's statutory financial statements under Irish law for the fiscal year ended December 31st, 2025. Copies of these statutory financial statements have been mailed to shareholders of record and are also available in hard copy form at the meeting venue, as well as on the financial report section of our website. There's no requirement under Irish law that these financial statements be approved by shareholders. We're not seeking any such approval at today's meeting. In addition, we will present a business review of Aon's 2025 affairs. There will be an opportunity for shareholders to ask questions. Shareholders attending in person in Dublin can ask questions by raising their hand during the question and answer period.
Those attending virtually can submit their questions at any time by clicking the message icon on the meeting center website. I'm joined in Dublin by Aon's President and CEO, Greg Case, and CFO, Edmund Reese. Mr. Case and other members of our Board of Directors are either with us in Dublin or participating virtually and are available to answer any shareholder questions. Now it's my pleasure to introduce Colby Alexis, Assistant Company Secretary, who will provide the Secretary's report.
Thank you, Lester. Notice of this annual general meeting, together with Aon's proxy statement, annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31st, 2025, and Irish statutory financial statements for the year ended December 31st, 2025, were made available beginning April 28th, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 10th, 2026. Aon has appointed John Merva and Miles Gettings on behalf of Broadridge as Inspector of Election for the voting at the annual general meeting. In accordance with our Articles of Association, voting today will be conducted by way of a poll on each of the resolutions put to the meeting. This is seen as best practice as it gives all shareholders the opportunity to participate in the decision-making of the company and have their votes recorded.
Based on a preliminary report from the Inspector of Election, of the 213,573,563 shares entitled to vote at the meeting, approximately 91% of the total voting rights of the shareholders entitled to vote are present in person or by proxy at the meeting. As a result, I declare that a quorum is present, and we will proceed with the meeting. I would like to turn the meeting over to Greg Case.
Thank you. On behalf of the management team, we would like to thank our shareholders for their continued partnership and investment in Aon, as well as our board of directors for their continued support and valuable insight. Our Aon United strategy continues to be the driving force behind the success of our firm. 2025 was another year of meaningful strategic progress and strong operational and financial performance for Aon. We completed the second year of our Three by Three plan, further integrating risk capital and human capital, expanding Aon Client Leadership, and leveraging Aon Business Services to drive greater capability through data and analytics, innovation, and efficiency. We delivered another year of strong financial results and highlight the consistency and durability of our business model.
In 2025, we achieved 6% organic revenue growth, with all solution lines across risk capital and human capital delivering mid-single digit or greater organic growth and 9% adjusted earnings per share growth. We generated $3.2 billion of free cash flow, an increase of 14% year-over-year, and returned $1.6 billion of capital to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends, including a 10% increase in our quarterly dividend. We also achieved our leverage objective and strengthened our capital position with the sale of the significant majority of NFP's wealth business, which resulted in more than $2 billion in proceeds. As a result, we enter 2026 with approximately $7 billion of available capital to support both gross investments and shareholder returns. Overall, we extended our long track record of consistent execution and strong financial performance.
At the midpoint of the final year of our Three by Three plan, we continue to demonstrate momentum, and we are well-positioned to deliver for our clients, generate sustainable growth, and create long-term shareholder value through 2026 and beyond. I'd like to turn the meeting back over to Lester.
Thank you, Greg, for that update. We're ready to take your questions. Please direct any questions to Greg, Edmund, or me, and any other member of the board of directors. Any shareholder who wishes to ask a question should please raise your hand, and if you're attending in person in Dublin. If you are attending virtually, please enter your question online via our meeting center website. Please give your name or the name of the person you represent and ask your question. I kindly remind you that questions must be confined to the business of this meeting. There being no questions, I'd now like to turn the meeting back to Colby for the resolutions to be considered at today's annual general meeting.
Thank you, Lester. The following individuals have been nominated for reelection as directors of the company, and each will be proposed for election by way of a separate ordinary resolution of the company. Lester Knight, Greg Case, Jose Antonio Álvarez, Jin Cai, Jeffrey Campbell, Cheryl Francis, Jo Ann Jenkins, Adriana Karaboutis, Richard Notebaert, Gloria Santona, Sarah Smith, Byron Spruell, and Admiral James Stavridis. There are six additional matters scheduled to be acted upon at this meeting. In accordance with the recommendation of the board of directors, I move the following proposals in addition to the election of these nominees for approval. As an ordinary resolution, an advisory vote to approve the compensation of the named executive officers as set forth in Aon's proxy statement.
As an ordinary resolution, the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as Aon's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026. As an ordinary resolution, the reappointment of Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants as Aon statutory auditor under Irish law to hold office until the conclusion of the next annual general meeting. As an ordinary resolution, the authorization of the board of directors or the audit committee of the board to determine the remuneration of Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants in its capacity as statutory auditor under Irish law.
As an ordinary resolution, the authorization of the board to issue Class A ordinary shares under Irish law for a period expiring on the date, which is 18 months from the date of this meeting, and as a special resolution, authorization of the board to opt out of statutory preemption rights under Irish law for a period expiring on the date, which is 18 months from the date of this meeting. The foregoing descriptions of each resolution are qualified by the full text of each of the resolutions, which are set out in the proxy statement. As required by our Articles of Association, the vote will be taken on a poll. As a result, each person represented in person or by proxy is entitled to one vote for every Class A ordinary share held. The voting standard required for each resolution to pass is set forth in Aon's proxy statement.
I will now turn the meeting over to Lester.
Thank you, Colby. We will now conduct the official business of the meeting. It is now 8:39 A.M. local Dublin time. I formally propose that each of the resolutions set out in the notice of the meeting are put to the meeting. I declare the polls open for voting on all of the resolutions. Let me spend a moment reviewing the voting procedures. Proxy statements and proxy voting cards were mailed or made available to all shareholders prior to the meeting. Those of you who have returned the proxies prior to this meeting authorized the persons named in the proxy to vote on all proposals coming before the meeting. Similarly, if you granted your proxy over the telephone or internet, you do not need to vote during the meeting.
Any shareholder attending physically in person who has not submitted a proxy or wishes to change his or her vote, please stand and you'll be given a ballot. All the ballots are in. I now declare the polls closed. The Inspector of Election is requested to tabulate the proxies and ballots and report the final voting results to the company secretary. Please join me in thanking all the directors for all the time and effort they devote on behalf of Aon and its shareholders. I'd also like to thank Greg Case and the entire management team for their efforts on behalf of Aon. Now I'll turn the meeting back over to Colby.
The Inspectors of Election are tabulating the votes. The final voting results on all items of business will be attached as an exhibit to the minutes of this meeting, reported in a filing by Aon with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and made available on the company's website. I will now turn the meeting back to Lester for closing remarks.
Thank you, Colby. That now concludes the business of the meeting. I'd like to express our sincere appreciation to those shareholders who attended today and to those who submitted proxies. I now declare this meeting closed.
This concludes the meeting. You may now disconnect.