Aviva has appointed Georgia Stewart to its independent governance committee (IGC) as a non-independent member. She replaces Robert Talbut, who stepped down from the IGC at the end of 2021.
Stewart is co-founder and CEO of Tumelo, a company that enables pension members to engage with the companies they are invested in on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, such as gender equality, human rights and climate change.
Aviva said that ESG is now part of the remit of companies’ IGCs and that Stewart’s appointment will help Aviva meet the expectations of the Financial Conduct Authority and represent the members of its sizeable workplace pension portfolio. The insurer also said that Stewart was named a non-independent member because of a “material business interest” between Aviva and Tumelo through a partnership signed in March 2021.
“Georgia’s appointment brings a fresh perspective and diversity to the IGC,” said Emma Douglas, director of workplace savings and retirement at Aviva. “Her passion for ESG and member engagement will help the IGC monitor Aviva’s ambitious net-zero carbon targets, both from a corporate and an investment perspective. I’d like to thank Robert for his outstanding contribution to the IGC over the last seven years, and we wish him all the best in his new activities.”
“We are excited to have Georgia join us to add new perspectives on ESG, engagement and communication from her stand-out experience in these areas,” said Colin Richardson, independent chair of Aviva’s IGC. “I would also like to add my gratitude to Robert for his considerable role in the IGC since 2015.”
