Richard Harvey, Group chief executive

Aviva’s stated ambition is to be the world’s most trusted provider of savings, investments and insurance. There is no question in my mind that acting responsibly in how we do business will play a key part in winning the trust of our stakeholders. The theme of responsible action over the long term is also very much part of our “Forward thinking” philosophy.

Of course, trust is not simply given to you – it needs to be earned.

We look to meet our customers’ needs by offering them relevant, simple to understand products that they can trust. We try to understand their needs in depth, for example, by conducting research among 50,000 people in more than 20 countries to assess attitudes to saving. We also have a comprehensive feedback system to help us measure levels of customer satisfaction with our service across our businesses.

As the need for personal pension provision grows, Aviva has launched a website at www.six-steps.org, which provides tools to help people understand their finances and to plan for retirement. We do not sell our products through six-steps; our aim rather is that over time it will help customers and potential customers to improve their understanding of their financial priorities and help them to make informed choices about solutions.

Our own employees are also vital stakeholders. We are involving them in making Aviva a great place to work and want them to be proud to work for us. Through our annual global employee engagement survey, we listen to their feedback. In response to that feedback, we have launched a number of initiatives aimed at creating an improved working environment characterised by fairness, respect and inclusiveness. It was pleasing to see Aviva recognised in The Times as one of the top 50 best places for women to work in the UK. In 2006 Aviva’s efforts were also recognised in winning the Business in the Community Opportunity Now City Award as well as several other awards for our diversity agenda.

Environmental issues remain at the forefront of our thinking. As a member of the CBI’s task force on climate change, I have joined UK business leaders in examining the role business can play in tackling climate change.

We want the communities in which we operate to see us as a responsible company, taking account of the social impacts of our activities.

Our financial commitment to community initiatives and charitable causes worldwide during the year was over £6.3 million. In April 2006 I visited the village of Seenigama, in Sri Lanka, one of the tsunami reconstruction projects funded by Aviva in Sri Lanka and southern India. I am very proud that Aviva is helping so many people rebuild their lives after such a terrible disaster.

In September I joined 1,600 walkers on the 60km Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, held in London. This walk, together with another in Birmingham also sponsored by Aviva, raised more than £5.3 million.

Aviva is a founder partner of the Oxfam 365 Alliance. This initiative supports advance preparation for disaster relief so that immediate help is always possible.

For Aviva, CSR is more than a worthy cause – it has to be embedded as part of the way we do business. So, for example, our product development takes account of our aim to act responsibly over the long term. In the UK we have moved from pilot to full launch of our market-leading “Pay As You Drive”™ motor insurance product, which encourages more thoughtful use of cars by charging on a per mile driven basis and raises awareness of road safety issues. Norwich Union is also the first UK insurer to provide discounted insurance specifically for bioethanol vehicles. Likewise, Aviva Canada, Delta Lloyd and Aviva France offer premium discounts to drivers of hybrid cars.

We can also use our leverage as an investor to champion responsible behaviour aimed at sustainable development. In June 2006, Morley, our fund management business, played a major role in raising £30 million from investors to lend to microfinance institutions. This initiative will provide about 300,000 small, collateral-free loans at reasonable rates to people in need in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia over the next five years.

Aviva continues to be the only UK insurer included in both the Dow Jones Sustainability World and STOXX indices, and we remain in the FTSE4Good index series. In an increasingly complex business environment, many investors use benchmarks such as these to look beyond short-term financial performance. They understand that a company that addresses the challenge of being socially responsible has better long-term prospects.

As I prepare to step down as group chief executive, I remain convinced of the value that CSR brings to our business, and firmly believe that Aviva is in excellent shape to continue its progress.

• Richard Harvey
• Group chief executive