Aviva unveils new regional broking structure

Gareth Hemming, trading director at Aviva, told Insurance Age that each region would be headed by a regional manager as the insurer looked to increase its contact with brokers.

"The whole purpose of these changes is about putting more decision making authority into the branches and having a more visible presence in the market with brokers.

"Our regional managers and underwriters will be present and available to brokers locally," he explained.

The news follows the departures of Alan Drury and Mike Smith last week.

Mr Hemming added: "We are looking at changes at our trading manager level but I do not envisage making major changes there."

Regional heads
In the new structure Paul Ross will become head of trading for the Scotland region operating out of the insurer's Glasgow office. Tracey Threlfall has been promoted to the post for the North West and Northern Ireland to replace Alan Drury while Jonathan Smith has remained as head of trading in the North East. All three report to Mr Hemming.

Reporting to fellow trading director Jonathan Neill, are Jo Thoy (formerly head of Aviva's Broker Independence Group) for the Midlands replacing Mike Smith. Paul Charlton has remained head of trading for Wales and South East and David Wolfe has also remained as leader for London and South East.

Mr Hemming noted that while there were no current plans to open new branch offices he was amenable to the idea.

He added: "What we have done is to change the structure of the regions as part of a wider ambition to reinforce the value of our local offices and what they bring to brokers.

"I envisage brokers seeing more local decision making, more activity in our branches helping them with their own staff's education and development and generally a bigger presence from our offices."

Contrast
The development is however in contrast with changes reported by Insurance Age in October 2008 when head of trading for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Steve Kelly, departed following an internal restructure.

At that time Aviva, then Norwich Union, said in a statement that the restructure was a result of consolidation and argued there was less need for regional heads, as many brokers now dealt with the insurer centrally.