Aviva has appointed Emma Stewart (pictured) as chief underwriting officer for its Personal Lines business, effective December 1, 2026, as the insurer continues to build out its leadership team following the integration of Direct Line Group.
Stewart has 16 years of general insurance experience. She joins Aviva from Lloyd's, where she spent a decade, most recently as chief actuary. During her time at the London market, she held several senior leadership positions and led regulatory and strategic transformation initiatives across the organisation, according to Aviva. Before moving to Lloyd's, she specialised in personal lines pricing and reserving.
In her new role, Stewart will lead Aviva's Personal Lines Underwriting function and sit on the Personal Lines Executive Committee.
Matt Fothergill, who has led Personal Lines Underwriting on an interim basis over the past year, will remain in the role until Stewart joins. Aviva said further details on his next steps will be announced in due course.
Owen Morris, chief executive of UK Personal Lines at Aviva, said Stewart's "deep technical expertise, proven leadership and extensive industry experience will be a real asset to Aviva." He pointed to her track record leading major regulatory and business transformation initiatives, adding that she brings valuable insight to the Personal Lines business and that he was looking forward to welcoming her to the leadership team later this year.
Morris also thanked Fothergill for his contribution over the past year, crediting him with playing an important part in supporting the integration of the underwriting function and positioning it for future success. He said the business was well placed to build on that momentum and continue delivering strong outcomes for customers.
The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Aviva's Personal Lines operation. Premiums in UK&I general insurance climbed 26% to £2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2026, driven by a 59% rise in Personal Lines following completion of the Direct Line Group acquisition on 1 July 2025 and continued growth through the intermediated channel. The UK&I undiscounted combined operating ratio improved to 94.1% over the period, with Aviva guiding to a full-year target below 94%. The group has also said policies sold through price comparison websites have nearly doubled since the start of the year as the Direct Line integration progresses.
Stewart's remit therefore covers a portfolio that has grown substantially in scale since her predecessor's appointment, with one of the UK's best-known motor and home insurance brands now folded into Aviva's underwriting book.
The wider market backdrop is one that underwriters will find familiar. The FCA's Motor Insurance Taskforce, reporting in late 2025, found that recent premium rises had been driven by external claims cost pressures rather than insurer profit-taking, and called for greater claims efficiency rather than further pricing intervention.
Those pressures have not let up. EY forecasts the sector's net combined ratio deteriorating to 111% in 2026, while Oxbow Partners projects sector profits falling from around £2 billion in 2025 to roughly £1.3 billion, as severe claims cost inflation reaches an estimated 7%, driven by rising repair costs and vehicle technology expenses.
Home insurance has seen its own volatility, with insurers paying out a record £4.6 billion in property claims across the first three quarters of 2025, driven largely by severe weather, underlining that extreme weather has become a persistent underwriting risk rather than an occasional shock.
Against that backdrop, Aviva's decision to bring in a chief underwriting officer with a decade of Lloyd's actuarial and regulatory experience points to continued emphasis on technical underwriting discipline as the Personal Lines business absorbs the Direct Line book at scale.
The appointment also fits a wider pattern of consolidation among UK personal lines insurers, as firms seek scale and efficiency in a low-growth, high-cost market.
For brokers and intermediary partners, Stewart's appointment, alongside Fothergill's continued presence in an interim capacity until December, points to a UK insurer prioritising underwriting continuity as it works through both integration and one of the more difficult claims environments the personal lines market has faced in recent years.
