Profile: Evolutionary thinker

Ageas’ managing director is confident of rapid growth after seeing a sharp rise in e-trading and a strengthening private motor market, writes Martin Friel

Although a positive man, one gets the impression that Mark Cliff is slightly frustrated. The MD of Ageas Insurance is, he insists, happy with the condition of the business that he took on nearly two-and-a-half-years ago, but push a little further and certain frustrations begin to emerge.

It is understandable that he craves, as all MDs and chief executives do, robust financial results but, unfortunately, that did not happen last year. In the last two years, the insurer’s overall results (not just