Ann Owen (pictured), who spent four years building Aviva’s high-net-worth private clients business into a Lloyd’s-capable proposition, has been appointed managing director of UK Commercial and Aviva Private Clients (APC), stepping into a role left vacant after David Martin’s departure for PIB Group earlier this month.
The appointment, confirmed with immediate effect and subject to regulatory approval, brings the two business lines under a single senior leader. Kate Wells, who joined Aviva in 2023 as chief operating officer of APC after leading Azur Underwriting as MD, has been named managing director of APC and will report to Owen.
Owen’s move is the latest in a rapid series of changes to Aviva’s commercial lines structure. When Martin announced his exit to become group chief executive at PIB, Aviva split his combined role in two, appointing Michelle Taylor as chief distribution officer and leaving the UK Commercial MD seat open. Owen now fills that seat while retaining oversight of APC. That structure places both the commercial book and the HNW offering under the same strategic direction.
Her background sits almost entirely in the private clients space. Before joining Aviva in 2021 following Aviva’s acquisition of the renewal rights to AXA XL’s UK private clients book, she served as chief underwriting officer for private clients at XL Catlin and AXA XL. She also spent more than a decade at AIG overseeing EMEA personal property and the insurer’s international private client operations. The UK Commercial brief represents a significantly broader remit.
Jason Storah, chief executive of Aviva UK and Ireland General Insurance, said Owen had “a strong track record of leading and growing businesses at Aviva” and would bring “a fresh perspective to UK Commercial.” He added that bringing APC and UK Commercial closer together “creates new opportunities for growth.”
APC launched in Lloyd’s on a phased basis from January 2026, allowing Aviva to write international property and asset policies exclusively through Lloyd’s brokers. The move positioned Aviva as a dual-stamp operator in the HNW space. At the same time, Aviva has been actively reshaping its commercial book, launching Aviva Premier in September for larger mid-market clients with complex risks, and stepping back from business it deemed unsustainable.
Whether Owen’s dual mandate accelerates any formal convergence between the two arms, such as commercial brokers being introduced to APC’s HNW proposition, remains to be seen. Storah’s comment about growth opportunities points in that direction, though Aviva has not elaborated on what that looks like in practice. The Michelle Taylor CDO appointment, confirmed the same day with Martin’s exit, gives Aviva a dedicated senior figure overseeing broker and partner relationships, a function now running in parallel with Owen’s combined remit.
