HR business boosts Aon profit Fri Feb 3, 2012 7:57am EST (Reuters) - Aon Corp (AON.N) posted a higher quarterly profit that narrowly beat market estimates as the world's largest insurance broker continued to reap the benefits from its acquisition of Hewitt Associates. Operating income from the company's HR solutions segment rose 55 percent to $133 million as revenue increased 3 percent to $3 billion. In 2010, Aon bought human resources specialist Hewitt Associates Inc for $4.9 billion in a bid to leapfrog rivals Marsh & McLennan (MMC.N) and create the world's largest human resource services company. "While macro economic conditions remain challenging globally, we are firmly on track to deliver improved growth in 2012," Aon Chief Executive Greg Case said in a statement. October-December net income attributable to shareholders from continuing operations rose to $277 million, or 82 cents a share, from $232 million, or 67 cents a share, a year ago. The company, which sponsors English Premier League football club Manchester United, earned 97 cents a share from continuing operations, before items. Analysts expected a profit of 96 cents a share on revenue of $3 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Earlier this month, Chicago-based Aon said it would move its headquarters to London to improve its access to fast-growing emerging markets and boost its presence in the British Capital's global insurance centre. Shares of the company, which hit a life-high of $54.58 on April 7, 2011 lost more than a quarter of their value by last September, but have since then jumped more than 20 percent. They closed at $49.37 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. Reporting by Aman Shah in Bangalore; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila