phil_bayles_blog1

My name is Phil Bayles. I look after Broker business in the south of UK as well as National Brokers and London Property Owners. I live in Southampton and support Southampton FC – I get a lot of sympathy from taxi drivers at the moment on that count.

When I first joined Norwich Union six years ago, whenever I arrived at a broker’s office their first question would be ‘what are you?’ There are lots of answers to that question(!), but what they meant was whether I had worked for Norwich Union, Commercial Union, General Accident or London and Edinburgh. Norwich Union might have been the name of the company; however there were definitely four different tribes under the surface. The answer I gave was ‘I’m an outsider’ – that was a conversation stopper.

During those early years I spent a lot of time in Perth, mainly with ex GA, with a few ex CU’ers and so I have always had a strong affinity with the Scots people and the place, more so than for Norwich as my time is mostly elsewhere. However this weekend I’ve spent some time in Norfolk and Suffolk and for the first time I have started to understand why the name change from Norwich Union to Aviva could be such a big deal if you hale from these counties.

I only usually head to East Anglia for business meetings but recently I visited North Norfolk -Burnham Market and Holkham beach- with my family, before heading to Southwold in Suffolk. These beautiful counties seem to have retained much of what has been lost elsewhere in England – unspoilt countryside, traditional pubs, pigs roaming in fields, even attendants at petrol stations (I jest not).

Nelson – a great strategist and patriot – was proud to be from Norfolk and I now understand why. I can also understand that if you are from Norfolk then losing one of the main symbols of your success – the Norwich Union name – must be difficult to embrace. Yet despite this certainty I see the enthusiasm in Norwich mounting, as I do elsewhere in the country – enthusiasm for a company rooted in British heritage to be trading so successfully in so many countries around the world and about to get a name change to reflect that and be recognised globally.

The tribe of four has become yesterday’s news. Norwich can feel proud of the fact that it all began in their home town and Aviva will bring peace of mind and prosperity to millions of customers all over the UK and around the world. We’ve come a long way in six years.

Phil Bayles – Director of Trading