Direct Line news

Direct Line Group appoints Glyn Jones as Senior Independent Director and Mark Catton as a Non-Executive Director

Published: 24 Sept 2012

Direct Line Insurance Group plc ("Direct Line Group" or "the Company") today announces that Glyn Jones has been appointed as Senior Independent Director of Direct Line Group and Mark Catton as a Non-Executive Director of Direct Line Group, effective 24 September 2012.

Glyn is the Chairman of Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited, a New York Stock Exchange-listed specialty insurance and reinsurance business. He has held this role since May 2007. He is also the Chairman of Aspen Insurance UK limited, the principal operating subsidiary of the Aspen Group. In the past six years, Glyn has held other non-executive directorships including the role of Chairman at Towry Holdings, Hermes Fund Managers and BT Pension Scheme Management. Glyn’s executive career included being CEO of Thames River Capital (2005-06), CEO of Gartmore Investment Management (2000-04), CEO of the Coutts Group (1997-2000), and six years in Hong Kong with Standard Chartered Bank (1991-97), latterly leading their international private banking business. Glyn also spent nine years as a partner with Coopers & Lybrand/Deloitte Haskins & Sells, predominantly in their financial services consultancy practice.

Mark sits on The Royal Bank of Scotland Group management committee and is CEO of RBS Corporate and Institutional Banking in the UK, a position he has held since August 2008. He rejoined RBS in 2007 as a Managing Director in Corporate Banking, having previously worked for NatWest. Prior to RBS, Mark was a Senior Executive at Barclays (2001-07), responsible for a number of its client and product businesses, and in the latter period as Managing Director in European Investment Banking and Debt Capital Markets at Barclays Capital.

Commenting on the appointments, Mike Biggs, Chairman, said:
“Both Glyn and Mark have extensive leadership skills and financial markets experience which will bring valuable insights to the Group and further complements the capability of our Board. Direct Line Group supports high standards of corporate governance and these appointments confirm that the composition of our Board is compliant with the UK Corporate Governance Code.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

For further information, please contact

Robert Bailhache
Director of Communications
Direct Line Group
Tel: 020 8285 3276

Neil Manser
Head of Investor Relations
Direct Line Group
Tel: 020 8285 3134

Notes to editors:

  • We are the UK's only diversified insurer and we operate in the UK, Ireland and Canada. We also have international investments in India and China.
  • We help our 25.3 million customers make the most out of life, plan for the future, and have the confidence that if things go wrong we’ll be there to put it right.
  • We have been taking care of people for more than 325 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2025, we paid £31.9 billion in claims and benefits to our customers.
  • Aviva is a Living Wage, Living Pension and Living Hours employer and provides market-leading benefits for our people, including flexible working, paid carers leave and equal parental leave. Find out more at www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people/
  • As at 30 June 2026, total Group assets under management at Aviva Group were £479 billion and our estimated Solvency II shareholder capital surplus was £6.8 billion. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
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