Aviva
Aviva are the UK’s leading diversified insurer, with businesses spanning insurance, wealth, and retirement. They also have major operations in Ireland and Canada. Aviva is a leading general insurer in the UK and Ireland, providing insurance solutions to over 12 million customers. Aviva offer commercial lines insurance to a wide range of businesses, from the micro segment up to large UK and global corporates. They also operate in the London market through their Lloyds syndicate, Probitas. In personal lines, they offer motor, home, travel, breakdown, pet and gadget insurance. They operate their own garage repair network and completed the acquisition of Direct Line in July 2025. They have been taking care of people for more than 325 years, in line with their purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2025, they paid £31.9 billion in claims and benefits to their customers.
Aviva moves on from Ogden blow to return to profit
Aviva has shaken off the impact of Ogden to see a 4% growth in UK general insurance profit last year.
Wrisk CEO warns politicians of barriers for insurtechs accessing government scheme
Exclusive: Politicians need to look at the Enterprise Investment Scheme to make it easier for insurtech start-ups to access it.
Updated: QBE claims boss replaces Ashton West at helm of MIB
Ashton West OBE is to retire as CEO and executive director of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, being replaced by former QBE group chief claims officer Dominic Clayden.
Career Development: Five insurers reveal gender pay gap figures
Five insurers have revealed by how much women are underpaid in their organisations compared to men.
Blog: Did Axa's Brendan McCafferty set a record for the shortest GI CEO stint this century?
The surprising departure of Brendan McCafferty as the CEO for intermediated and direct at Axa Insurance last month got me thinking.
Analysis: Insurers torched on Twitter over Liverpool Fire
How social media influenced the response of insurers to the Liverpool fire
Blog: Need a new CEO? You could do worse than look at your claims manager
Roll back six years and I remember David Williams, on taking a new role as director of underwriting at Axa, calling for parity in remuneration between claims professionals and others.
Ex-Aviva manager launches AI-driven chatbot app
Ex-Aviva product manager Damian Cristian has developed an Artificial Intelligence-driven chatbot app for personal insurance.
Penny Black's Social World - February 2018
Comfort, community, chorus and kung fu
Five insurers reveal by how much industry women are underpaid
Five insurers have revealed by how much women are underpaid in their organisations compared to men.
Editor's comment: An explosive start to the year
I started this year in style watching the fireworks over Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland Paris. Looking at January’s headlines the insurance industry has also started this year with a bang.
Former Aviva director develops broker customer data sharing platform
Broker Insights has developed a platform which uses broker customer data to help insurers identify business opportunities.
Career File: Rob Townend, Aviva
Townend appointed managing director of UK general insurance at Aviva
Week in Post: Carillion collapse and the executive merry-go-round
It was oddly coincidental that it was Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year, when Carillion collapsed – placing 20,000 jobs at risk.
Incoming Aviva GI boss promises continuity in business
The high turnover in the top job in UK general insurance at Aviva in recent years will not detract from the business’s overall strategy, Rob Townend said.
Rob Townend replaces Colm Holmes as Aviva UK GI boss
Current Aviva UK general insurance CEO Colm Holmes has left the role to become president and CEO of Aviva Canada.
Analysis: Employee benefits: Perking up at work
Insurers are investing in employee benefits as a way to recruit and retain staff - and they go beyond the core elements of pension, life and health cover to sometimes include quirky perks
Aon Benfield chairman to lead the board at Climate Wise
Aon Benfield’s executive chairman Dominic Christian has been appointed chairman of Climate Wise.
Revealed: National epidemic of 2.2bn nuisance calls
Customers were bombarded with 2.2 billion nuisance phone calls related to personal injury, PPI or other insurance matter in 2017.
Aviva settles almost half of claims from Liverpool car park fire
Aviva has settled almost half of the 123 claims it had received from the Liverpool car park fire, and the firm also moved to waive the excess on customers’ policies.
Preview of 2018: A sneak peek at the coming year
The promised whiplash and discount rate reforms, as well as the UK’s exit from the European Union, are expected to shape the coming year for the industry. Insurers, brokers, loss adjusters and lawyers are wary of political uncertainties and the trends in…
Editor's comment: Will Amazon give a little or take a lot?
I’m a big fan of Amazon. Although I’m not a Millennial, I’m used to getting the products I want delivered to where I want, when I want, without too much fuss.
Post Power List 2018
2018 is likely to be a year dominated by data regulation, more Brexit negotiations and further Ogden reform and, as such, the key influencers reflect this
Post Power List 2018: Colm Holmes
CEO of general insurance, Aviva UK