AXA taps Aviva for new broker-facing executive

AXA has hired two new broker-facing executives, taking one of the new appointments from rival Aviva.

Maureen Varlow has been appointed senior relationships manager, responsible for four key broking accounts.

She joins AXA commercial lines and personal intermediary after a 30-year stint at Aviva. Varlow held a variety of roles at Aviva, most recently sales manager for the North East.

Her hire completes an existing team of three.

AXA has also promoted Neetu Patil from within the company to head of new deals. She takes over from Ed Pugh, who assumed responsibility for AXA’s Birmingham branch late last year.

In her new role at AXA, Patil will head up a team of five with responsibility for driving the delivery of AXA’s major national and regional new deals facilities.

Patil has held several roles at AXA including the project management for the establishment of the insurer’s Newcastle and Bristol branches.

AXA commercial lines and personal intermediary head of strategic partnerships Barrie King said: “These two appointments show the ambition we have in the UK market and our dedication to providing brokers of all sizes the focus and resource required to deliver the results they and their shareholders expect.

“We are delighted to have attracted someone of Maureen’s talent and experience to AXA, but it is in some ways more satisfying to promote from within as we have with Neetu.

“I look forward to working with both and I am confident that they will make a significant impact upon our strategic broker relationships.”

AXA commercial managing director Matthew Reed added: “Our strategic relationships are vital to our overall broker strategy, as is the ability to manage and facilitate new deals and I am confident that the appointments Barrie has made to his team will allow us to be more targeted in our dealings with brokers and much more efficient in putting the great propositions that brokers come to us with into action.”