Market Moves: September 2023

Brokers

Aon has named Graeme MacMillan as chief broking officer for Commercial Risk Solutions in the UK, starting in the newly created role on 1 November. MacMillan joins from Ardonagh, where he has been since 2020 when he was appointed CEO of product and distribution management for Ardonagh Portfolio Solutions. Prior to this, MacMillan was director of international brokers at Aviva for just over two years, and, was previously CEO of the UK markets division at Marsh.

James Watkin has been appointed CEO of the The Broker Investment Group’s newly created managing general agent division. Watkin was formerly the managing director of Camberford Underwriting, part of Global Risk Partners. His appointment follows a consultancy role at TBIG, during which time he helped to create the architecture for the new division. Watkin will report to Dave Clapp, group CEO. He will be based in Maidstone and have a UK remit focused on acquisitions, the creation of new entities and further expanding the group’s stable of existing MGAs.

GRP’s Hedron Network has hired two business development professionals to support its network partners. Anna Wilkinson and Tom Lawlor joined the company in July, and will look after broker partners in the South East and the North East, respectively. Wilkinson and Lawlor will both report to Anthony Lee, Hedron’s development team manager.

WTW has swooped for Marsh’s Lucy Clarke as its new president of risk and broking. Clarke will join in the third quarter of 2024. Adam Garrard will continue as head of risk and broking Until she comes on board, and will then switch to being chairman of the division. In her new role, Clarke will report to WTW CEO Carl Hess, and will be responsible for the day-to-day financial and operational management and growth of the business. Clarke has been president of Marsh Specialty and Global Placement for more than four years. Before this, she was CEO of JLT Global Specialty, taking up the wider post after the two brokers came together in 2019. 

Insurers

Axa has appointed Tara Foley as UK & Ireland CEO, succeeding Claudio Gienal. Foley took up her role on 1 September after almost three years as CEO of Axa UK Retail Insurance. Gienal has been appointed chief transformation officer for Axa European Markets and Health. He replaced Amanda Blanc as UK and Ireland CEO in July 2018. Anna Fleming has been named as interim Axa Retail CEO. Fleming joined Axa in 2021 as retail chief operating officer, having spent nearly four years as COO at Motor Insurers’ Bureau. Prior to this, she spent more than nine years at Zurich, latterly as chief claims officer. 

Aviva has appointed Jason Storah as CEO of UK & Ireland General Insurance. Storah, is currently CEO of Aviva Canada – a post he has held for four years. In that period the business has grown GWP by 34% to become the number two general insurer in the Canadian market. He has 19 years of experience with Aviva in a variety of roles. Prior to becoming CEO of Aviva Canada, he most recently served as chief distribution officer, where he oversaw broker distribution, partnerships as well as Aviva’s direct insurance business and marketing.

Storah replaces Adam Winslow who has been appointed as Direct Line Group’s new chief executive. The move concludes a protracted search for a replacement after Penny James stepped down in January. Since her departure, former NIG boss Jon Greenwood has been in the job on an interim basis, but did not want the role permanently. Winslow is expected to join in the first quarter of 2024. He has been UK & Ireland GI CEO at Aviva since May 2021, moving up from director of international markets when Colm Holmes left the provider. Prior to this he spent eight years at AIG in various roles from distribution officer to CEO of life insurance. DLG confirmed that Greenwood will remain as acting CEO until Winslow joins and after a handover period he intends to step back and pursue other opportunities, including non-executive roles.

Allianz Commercial has created two senior roles following the appointment of Nick Hobbs as chief distribution officer. Mike Thomas takes up the post of director of distribution for digital and mid-market, and Andy Montgomery has been made head of broker distribution management.

Thomas’ leadership positions have seen him work across the UK branch network as branch manager for Luton, strategic account manager for national brokers, regional manager South East and regional manager South. At the start of 2022, Thomas moved into the role of distribution director leading the strategic account managers and broker distribution management teams while delivering Allianz’s new broker segmentation strategy. Montgomery joined Allianz in 2005, and has worked across the UK business, including account management and development roles. Most recently he’s been broker distribution manager based in the head office in Guildford, Surrey, but working nationwide.

Hiscox has named Gareth Hemming as its new chief distribution officer for Hiscox UK. Hemming, who left Aviva in 2022 after 33 years, will be based in Manchester, and report to Jon Dye, Hiscox UK CEO. He will be responsible for the provider’s trading strategy with a focus on driving profitable growth with brokers. Hemming will also lead the broker trading teams across the UK, including Hiscox’s regional operations, schemes and art and private clients. Hemming will become a member of the Hiscox UK leadership team. He is set to join on 1 October.

RSA Insurance has named James Godfrey as transformation director, joining from Atos where he held the position of technology and business change transformation specialist. Prior to this, Godfrey was UK transformation director at Aviva.

Zurich has promoted Morgan Lyons to head up its mid-market business division. Lyons has been with the insurer for eight years, most recently working as head of regional markets in the North of England. He has spent more than two decades in the insurance industry and previously worked at Chubb and Axa UK.

Others

Former director of regional brokers, strategy and propositions at Aviva, Karen Jackman, has joined Ardonagh’s UK commercial MGA as sales director. In the new strategic role for the business, she has responsibility for developing its overall sales and distribution strategy across the commercial MGA. As previously revealed by Insurance Age, Jackman left Aviva in May 2022. During her time at the insurer, her roles included head of broker distribution, strategy, marketing, proposition and deals.

The British Insurance Brokers’ Association has unveiled a pair of appointments to its main board and broadened access to it. David Sparkes has been promoted to regulation director in a new main board position. Sparkes joined Biba in 2013 as head of compliance, and his role was subsequently expanded to head of compliance and training. Emma Chapman has been named as conference director and also joins the main board. Lindsay Campbell, who was formerly in the job, remains with the conference team as manager on a part-time basis.

Flood Re has appointed Bridget Rosewell as non-executive director and chair-designate to succeed outgoing Mark Hoban, taking up the chair post at the end of September. Her present roles include non-executive chair of audit and risk for the UK Infrastructure Bank, non-executive director of Northumbrian Water, and chair of M6 Toll, the UK’s only tolled motorway, as well as chair of challenger bank Atom. Rosewell’s previous posts include commissioner of the National Infrastructure Commission (2015 to 2023), and member, independent review of finances of Transport for London.

Mark Mugge has left the motor specialist broker Lucida Group to be chief financial officer of managing general agent Optio Group. Mugge, joined Lucida Group, which was then known as Right Choice, as group CFO in March 2020. Prior to this, he worked at Ardonagh for five years, including nearly three years as group CFO and latterly as a strategic adviser.