- Streamlining of senior management structure to support further growth
- Brendan McCafferty leaves with immediate effect
- Chris Voller, Claims Director, to retire in March
AXA has moved to simplify the management structure of its UK insurance business to improve operational focus within the business.
To bring greater clarity to reporting lines and streamline decision-making at the company, the following changes have been announced:
- The current managing directors of AXA Direct and AXA Commercial Intermediary (Gareth Howell and Jon Walker) have been promoted to the AXA Insurance Board
- Gareth assumes the role of Executive Managing Director of AXA Retail and Jon assumes the role of Executive Managing Director of AXA Commercial
- Brendan McCafferty has left the business with immediate effect and will not be replaced
- Managing Director of Personal Intermediary and Corporate Partners (Laurent Matras) and Technical Director (David Williams) will report to Gareth Howell and Jon Walker respectively
- Waseem Malik will succeed Chris Voller in April 2018 and will join Gareth and Jon on the AXA Insurance Board
While bringing greater operational clarity to the UK business, the changes, which take place with immediate effect, align with the wider AXA Group drive to simplify reporting lines and bring the voice of the customer closer to decision-making.
In addition, it can be announced today that current Claims Director, Chris Voller, is to retire at the end of March after a 37-year career at the company. He began his career at Guardian Royal Exchange (acquired by AXA in 1999) working in operational claims. He later played a key role in integrating the AXA and Guardian Royal Exchange claims teams.
After holding several senior posts within claims, Chris assumed the role of Claims Director for AXA Commercial Lines and Personal Intermediary in 2012 before finally becoming Claims Director for AXA Insurance in 2015.
He will be replaced by current AXA Insurance Chief Financial Officer, Waseem Malik who will assume the role of Executive Managing Director of Claims and joins the Executive Committee with Jon and Gareth. They will collectively represent the Insurance business at an executive level.
Waseem’s remit will be to not only empower the claims teams to provide the best possible service but to drive forward the transformation of claims to satisfy evolving customer demands.
As AXA grows in size and complexity, it is vital that we do not lose sight of why we are here – to deliver the protection and advice that our customers require. By 2020, we will be a significantly larger business than we were in 2010 and we need to remain as agile and responsive as possible as we manage that growth.
I am convinced that by reducing layers of management and dual reporting lines we will deliver faster, more effective decision making. The priority should never be satisfying internal requirements which is why we have taken this sensible but difficult decision to simplify the management structure of AXA Insurance.
Brendan came in at a tough time with several unexpected issues hitting the insurance industry almost simultaneously but he and the team managed them effectively. He leaves the business in good shape having weathered the storms of 2017.
I want to thank him sincerely for all his hard work and for the incredibly professional manner in which he has accepted the circumstances of his departure.
Additionally, I want to bring attention to Chris’ long and successful career at AXA. Today, it is unusual to find an individual who has come up through the ranks to the most senior level and Chris’ career is testament to what can be achieved with hard work, professionalism and dedication to the cause.
We and the industry shall miss him but we wish him all the best in his retirement.