Aviva plans expansion in financial lines market

UK insurer Aviva has bolstered its financial lines unit with a raft of new hires and strategic plans aimed at driving growth, as well as expanding presence into Scotland.

Ramesh Singh joined Aviva as underwriting director for financial lines, with 25 years of extensive experience across a number of international carriers including Chubb, AIG, AXA XL and CNA Hardy. His expertise spans corporate lawyer, M&A insurance underwriter and M&A insurance broker, most recently as head of real estate transactional risk at Lockton. He has led a number of mid-market and large-cap UK and international private M&A deals across various sectors with a particular focus on prime real estate, infrastructure and financial services.

Daisy Laskey has been appointed as head of management liability, while Richard Belsey is set to join as the head of M&A underwriting in the summer. Samantha Shean, with over 25 years of experience specialising in financial institutions, will lead the FI business. She joins Aviva after 12 years at Axis Capital, where she most recently served as head of financial institutions.

Patrick Waters, who will report to Shean, brings over 12 years of insurance industry experience, primarily in financial lines claims handling and underwriting. His background includes roles at Chubb, Canopius, and CNA Hardy, where he currently serves as senior technical underwriter. He has experience on both company and Lloyd's platforms.

Felix Cofie, joining from Aspen, brings 15 years of professional indemnity (PI) underwriting experience from various Lloyd's and company markets. As an underwriting manager at Aviva, Cofie will assist in the development and implementation of its underwriting strategy, while working with brokers to build new and existing business.

Aviva said financial lines is a key growth area for the business and the insurer is investing into building a new financial lines underwriting team in Glasgow.

David Jenkins, with over 20 years of experience, joined Aviva in January as a senior financial lines underwriter for Scotland.  He joins financial lines underwriter Luisa O’Donnell, who joined Aviva in late 2023. Plans are in place to recruit further into this team, the company said.

 Additionally, Duncan Goddard joined in December as senior financial lines underwriter for the South & Greater London. Goddard brings more than 20 years’ experience as an underwriter in the insurance industry, and will sit in Aviva’s regional financial lines team, focusing on large corporate and complex business.

Jenkins and Goddard will report into regional head of financial lines Alison Caine.

Singh commented: “I’m delighted that we’re building bench strength and expertise in our dedicated Financial Lines team. This fits with our ambition to rebuild and rebrand Aviva’s Financial Lines offering, as we continue our commitment to this important part of the Aviva portfolio. Our focus is to work strategically with our customers and brokers across the UK and the globe. Investing into Scotland and further into our London centre of excellence will help us to meet this ambition as we continue to grow.”

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