End of an era: Prudential chief Mike Wells steps down with new boss and all top roles moving to Asia February 10, 2022 Insurance giant Prudential said this morning that its chief Mike Wells plans to retire at the end of March after seven years in the role, with his replacement set to be based in Asia. Chief finance officer and chief operating officer Mark FitzPatrick will replace Wells as chief executive on an interim basis, but has [...]
Merger talks between LV= and Royal London break down February 9, 2022 Relations between LV= and rival mutual Royal London have taken another dramatic turn with the companies confirming the collapse of merger talks. LV= said the marriage would not be in the “best interests” of its members while Royal London suggested it was misled into thinking its rival did not have a viable future as an [...]
Much-talked about £6m lawsuit by The Wolseley owner against insurance giant AXA starts in court January 26, 2022 A much-talked about lawsuit by the owner of The Wolseley and a range of other upmarket restaurants around London against insurance giant AXA has started in London’s High Court. Corbin & King is brining the £6m lawsuit to AXA Insurance over Covid-related losses, in a trial that could have wider ramifications for other UK businesses [...]
British insurer drops “energetic” and “enthusiastic” from job ads to attract older employees January 19, 2022 One of Britain’s biggest insurers is set to stop using the words “enthusiastic” and “energetic” in job adverts, so as not to deter old people from making applications. Phoenix Group, which owns insurance company Standard Life, will also use “age-diverse” imagery in its postings to increase “the likelihood of older applicants applying.” The plans come [...]
Lloyd’s of London weighs up leaving iconic headquarters January 19, 2022 Lloyd’s of London is considering leaving its iconic headquarters as it seeks out ways to adapt to shifts in working habits brought about by digitalisation of its business and Covid-19. In an email to City AM, a Lloyd’s of London spokesperson said: “As we adapt to new structures and flexible ways of working, we are [...]
Exclusive: ‘Omicron is a reminder the world is only as good as the weakest link in the vaccination chain,’ says abrdn exec January 11, 2022 Ongoing inflationary shocks, questions around interest rates and the emergence of the new Omicron Covid variant are all making navigating uncertainty more challenging. Nonetheless, when we look beyond the headlines, there remain some reasons for optimism going into 2022, according to Richard Dunbar, head of multi-asset research at global investment giant abrdn. Square Mile-based Dunbar [...]
Insurer Hiscox names new group chief financial officer December 21, 2021 International insurer Hiscox Ltd has announced former EY partner and industry expert Paul Cooper as its new group chief financial officer. A qualified chartered accountant who trained with PwC, Cooper is currently the interim group chief financial officer of M&G Plc, a FTSE 100 asset manager and life insurer. Cooper will be rewarded with a [...]
Things between Zurich and Greggs heat up as insurer insists on slicing bakery’s £100m covid claim to £2.5m December 14, 2021 Zurich Insurance has retaliated in a London court against a claim by bakery chain Greggs for between £50m to £100m in payouts for Covid-19 related losses, according to reports. The insurance giant told the court that its business interruption cover went up to £2.5m for a single event, according to Legal 360, which first reported [...]
LV= to review new Royal London takeover offer after £530m Bain bid scrapped by members December 12, 2021 Insurance mutual LV= will this week assess a takeover offer back on the table from rival Royal London after its members last week rejected a £530m takeover bid from US private equity giant Bain. In a vote on Friday, 69 per cent of LV=members who voted supported the deal with Bain – but they fell [...]
LV= chairman quits after members reject £530m Bain Capital takeover December 11, 2021 Alan Cook has stepped down as chairman of mutual insurer Liverpool Victoria after failing to secure the backing of members for a £530m deal with a US private equity firm. Cook resigned within minutes of the vote results being announced, revealing that 69 per cent of LV= members who voted supported the deal, which needed [...]