There has been something of a shake-up at insurance giant Aviva Canada, with the company announcing a new president and CEO.
Colm Holmes, currently the chief executive officer of Aviva UK General Insurance, makes the switch over to Canada in the president and CEO position while also leading Aviva’s global corporate and specialty business. The move will see Greg Somerville step back from his position as the current CEO and president in the country and instead step into a non-executive director role.
“Under Colm’s leadership, Aviva’s UK general insurance has gone from strength to strength,” said Andy Briggs, Aviva CEO of UK insurance. “He has been responsible for driving strong growth in both revenue and profit, as well as achieving high customer satisfaction and developing new insurance products that help our customers manage the risks of everyday life.”
That’s just the start of the changes at the firm, however, with a number of moves on its home turf too.
As part of the shake-up, Rob Townend, currently Aviva’s UK claims director steps into the role of managing director of Aviva UK general insurance; while Phil Bayles will continue in his role as managing director of UK Intermediaries but also take on additional responsibility for leading the trading strategy. According to a company release, Townend and Bayles “will work closely together to drive profitable growth for the general insurance business to maintain a strong market presence.”
In addition, Patrick Tiernan, the current Aviva chief financial officer of global corporate and specialty, becomes the managing director of global corporate and specialty, UK and Europe; while Andrew Morrish, Aviva’s UK motor claims and technology director, moves into the role of UK GI claims director. All of the UK appointments are subject to regulatory and board approval.
