Aviva announces that Seán Egan has been appointed to the role of chief executive officer, Aviva Ireland.
Aviva announces that Seán Egan has been appointed to the role of chief executive officer, Aviva Ireland. He takes over from Dermot Browne who will be leaving the Group at the end of the year to pursue new challenges outside of Aviva.
Seán will lead Aviva’s Irish business through the recently announced proposed transformation which will ensure the long term success of the business. The proposed changes will align many of Aviva Ireland’s activities and services with Aviva’s UK business and ensure the cost base is at market-leading levels in order to offer more competitive pricing and introduce new products and services for customers. Under the proposals, Aviva will remain the largest employer in the Irish insurance sector.
Announcing Seán’s appointment, Igal Mayer, CEO of Aviva Europe said: "I am delighted to announce Seán’s new role as CEO of Aviva Ireland. Aviva is absolutely committed to our business in Ireland, our 1.3 million customers and ensuring we remain the country’s leading insurer. Seán has extensive knowledge of Aviva’s businesses in the UK and Europe, which will be invaluable as Aviva Ireland undertakes this proposed transformation.
"I would like to thank Dermot for his contribution to the Irish business and I wish him every success for the future."
Commenting on his new role, Seán Egan said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead Aviva’s business in Ireland. Whilst we face challenges to improve our business, I am confident that we have the right proposals to provide competitive, innovative insurance products for our customers and create a long-term sustainable business for employees.
"We remain committed to a full and open consultation process with our employees and their representatives. We hope to achieve any proposed job reductions through voluntary means where possible and will support employees through every step of this transformation."
Seán joined Aviva in 1999 and most recently held the position of transformation director with Aviva Europe. He is a member of Aviva’s European Executive Committee and brings extensive experience of change management and operations in the insurance business, including his role as chief operating officer of Aviva’s UK General Insurance business where he had responsibility for over 10,000 employees in sales and services.
Seán’s appointment is subject to regulatory and board approval.
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Notes to editors:
About Aviva in Europe
- Aviva operates in 13 countries across Europe, including the UK, providing life, general and health insurance products to more than 32 million customers. Customers are served through a multi-channel distribution network, including banks, insurance intermediaries, corporate partners, agents, direct sales force, telephone and the internet.
- Aviva is a clear leader in bancassurance in Europe and the UK, with 62 banking agreements.
- Our chosen presence in Europe combines large, developed economies of the UK, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, and Poland with the emerging markets of Turkey and Russia, providing strength and scale in some of the largest and most attractive insurance markets in the world.
About Aviva Ireland
- With 1.3 million customers and 1,770 staff in Dublin and across the country, Aviva is one of Ireland’s leading insurers, with businesses in general insurance, life and pensions and the health protection sector.
- Aviva’s history in Ireland dates back to 1816, when Norwich Union opened its first office in Dublin. Today, it is the largest general insurer in Ireland and a top-three provider in the Irish life and pensions market.
About Seán Egan
Seán Egan joined Aviva in 1999 and since then has held a number of different roles within the Group, most recently transformation director for Aviva Europe.
He established and ran Aviva’s offshore operation in India, returning to the UK General Insurance business in 2005, when he was appointed to the executive team as chief information officer. He also ran the UK shared services function, which included IT infrastructure and service, property, facilities and procurement.
In January 2010, Seán was appointed chief operating officer for the UK General Insurance business, with responsibility for the 10,000 people who sell and service Aviva and RAC business, claims management, collections and RAC service delivery. Seán was heavily involved in the sale of Aviva’s RAC business to Carlyle this year, overseeing the separation of this business from Aviva.
Prior to working at Aviva, Seán worked for IBM and in the telecoms industry where he gained experience in a number of functions including leading one of the largest transformation projects in Europe.
A native of London, Seán studied at Trinity College Dublin.