Ant Middle takes over Ageas Retail top job

Ageas has announced that Ant Middle is replacing Mark Cliff as chief executive of its broker arm.

Middle will take up the position of Ageas Retail boss next month, succeeding Cliff, who leaves the company at the end of April to become executive chairman of Brightside.

Middle has been promoted from managing director at Ageas Retail’s partnership business, which he joined last year.

He will report to Ageas UK chief executive Andy Watson.

As well as leading Ageas retail’s management committee whose members will report into him, Middle will join the UK executive and Ageas UK board.

As Ageas Retail chief executive, he will be in charge of the partnerships business as well as the Kwik Fit Insurance Services, Express Insurance Services, RIAS and Castle Cover brands.

Ageas Retail is the UK’s fourth largest personal lines intermediary, with around 2.5 million customers.

Before joining Ageas last year, Middle was UK strategic partnerships director for Aviva. He left AXA UK, where he was commercial director, to join Aviva in June 2010.

Ageas Retail partnerships operations director Caroline King, who is overseeing the business while a replacement is found for Middle, will join the retail management committee on an interim basis.

Announcing the appointment, Watson said: “I’m delighted that Ant will lead our Retail business. He has made a significant contribution to Ageas since joining us and proved to be a strong candidate during a rigorous internal and external search process. In his new role, we will continue to benefit from his considerable experience both in Ageas Retail and as part of the wider Ageas UK Executive team.”

Middle said: “I’m excited to be given the opportunity to lead Ageas Retail at such an important stage of its development. The market has never been more challenging and dynamic, I’m up for that challenge and I know our people are too. I have loved my first year at Ageas and working with an impressive team. I’m now looking forward to working with them and our trading partners to increase that momentum and ensure we deliver on our collective ambitions.”

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