Ant Middle, the new chief executive of Ageas UK who took on the top post this month, has split his previous chief customer officer remit into two separate roles – customer operations director and chief distribution officer.

The latter position, the appointment for which is still being finalised, will feature the company’s intermediated and direct-to-customer distribution channels. The chosen executive will be working with distribution directors Mark Auchterlonie, Darren Whittaker, and Russell White who were appointed last year.

Meanwhile taking on the customer operations director function is Caroline King (pictured). She will be in charge of frontline sales and service operations alongside the business-wide customer service strategy. King has been with the business since 2014.

“I welcome the broad and valuable experience that Caroline brings to the executive team, ensuring both the customer and our customer-facing colleagues are at the forefront of the strategic decisions we make,” said Middle. “I am well advanced in the process of recruiting for the chief distribution officer and look forward to announcing that news in the near future.”

Both appointments are subject to the usual regulatory approvals.

The Ageas UK boss also stated: “My priority is to lead Ageas to emerge strongly from the current situation. We remain financially strong, we have a sound strategy, and the priorities we set out at the start of the year remain highly relevant.

“If anything, our experience in recent months has enhanced our focus on some elements of our strategic development, not least our desire to grow profitably over time and maintain our reputation for customer service and claims excellence.”