“Would you guest on Janice’s blog? It’s an opportunity.”

Hmmm. I tend toward Ambrose Bierce’s view; Opportunity defined as ‘an occasion for grasping a disappointment’.

I’m an Underwriter……..well I’m heading Aviva’s new Corporate Risks team…….. but I’m an Underwriter (even the Insurance press said so)…typical of the breed…glass half empty (far too frequently of late!) Why would any one be interested? Can you blag a blog?

But then – on reflection, the interest in Aviva’s latest initiative has been incredible: internally and externally.

Again, typical Underwriter: paranoia to the fore – unsure of a public launch; didn’t want the noise; nervous of perceptions: conscious of legacy. Lets prove ourselves, get ourselves established. Want to listen to our partners and clients, not make announcements. It wasn’t as if there was a lack of opinion in the market (always impressed with certain individual’s belief in their own divinity, untroubled that their pronouncements have all the accuracy of a long range weather forecast).

And actually it’s been fantastic:

- the support, counsel, reception from brokers…brilliant: a real spirit of generosity.

- the commitment from all the team across Aviva to get the business up and running.

- building the team, a core of Aviva’s best with a blend of the best in the market.

- interest from around the business – our internal tele-conference briefing on the launch was one of the best attended with hundreds phoning in.

- winning our place on one of our key partners panels for corporate business at the same time as we were establishing the unit.

- attendance at two of our brokers conferences and the warmth of response.

- success of the two launch events superbly put together by our Marketing and Events team.

- achieving our January plan and from a personal perspective one of the most exciting developments in my 30 year career.

Still lots to do and best that I leave as I started with a thought from my life coach Mr Bierce:

‘Future – that period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness assured.’

Paul Sullivan (Head of Corporate Risk Solutions)

(nb. both quotes by Ambrose Bierce from the Devil’s Dictionary 1911)

John – We started, we started, sorry I started this blog with a little group of friends about a year ago and to start off the New Year 2010 we thought we’d do a little video blog as a one off, see how it goes and if its popular I think we’ll run it again, but this is the first sort of video blog we have done and we hope you like it.

What were your highlights of 2009?

Janice – One was being asked to dress as a mermaid, one of John’s wonderful ideas, which was Janice should dress as a mermaid for the key partner conference.

John interrupts – sorry Janice we are doing highlights

*Janice laughs and slaps John’s hand*

*Clip of Janice as a mermaid*

Janice – so yeah, one of them was being asked to be a mermaid.

John interrupts – that was – it was very funny

Janice – the highlight…Key Partner Conference and 110 Conference were great highlights for me, I just think they, in the toughest of years with our brokers they highlighted the strengths of the relationships are still there and that those relationships are still working for us and that we have come through some really tough times together and those relationships are stronger than ever.

John – Highlight has to be the re-brand obviously we re-branded and if anybody, if anybody watching this blog doesn’t know…we’re Aviva and we changed our name from Norwich Union, well shame on you really! Shame on the audience, if you’re watching audience, shame on you!  And actually I think, you can sense that the whole of the UK population knows we’re Aviva and Norwich Union is packed into the history of insurance companies.

What was the funniest moment of 2009?

Janice – Mine was the ‘Gingergate episode’ at the 110 conference that was my funniest moment of all the things and all the videos.

John – I do remember that actually…gingergate!

Janice – and that actually…(laughs) Gingergate!

*Clip of Gingergate episode from 110 Conference*

What are your biggest hopes for 2010?

John – My biggest hope for 2010 is that Aviva recovers from my departure

*Janice laughs*

John – and can carry on being the thrusting successful organisation that it has become in the last year since it was re-branded. That’s definitely my hope for 2010.

Janice – My biggest hope for 2010 is that the optimism I feel now, the first week in January, sort of comes to fruition, not just for Aviva but actually for generally in the world outside and the economy and that we start to see some real traction and improvement, because that effects lots of peoples lives and I love this time of year its actually a time of optimism, part of the year where you can be optimistic around the rest of the year so that’s what I’m hoping for and obviously that we recover from Johns departure.

*Janice laughs*

John – because yours was a really serious hope wasn’t it – really quite deep and profound about optimism and world recovery! Mine was a little glib comment about…

Janice interrupts – that’s because I’m staying and you’re going!

John – true true true true.

What can brokers expect from Aviva in 2010?

Janice – it won’t be quite so colourful with John not around but I think pretty much brokers can expect that the most important thing is our relationship and that will just continue, there’s no doubt that 2009 was a tough year, 2010 might be tough as well, but we are in it together and that’s what they will see in 2010. I don’t see that changing I see, more of you know, the same working together to get through the tough times and hopefully that’s what they’ll say they have seen this year.

Janice, what will you miss the most and least about John?

Janice – What I’ll miss most is that fact that he makes me laugh so much when bad days are bad can always have 5 minutes therapy and always make me laugh.

John interrupts – and you have had lots of bad days!

Janice – what I’ll miss least. What will I miss least?

John Interrupts – there isn’t anything can we cut this out!? There won’t be anything to say!

*Janice laughs*

John – I do annoy her when I chase her up on stuff – she hates being chased up..so whoevers..Yeah..She hates being chased up on stuff..”so how you doing with that”?  ”ill tell you when I tell you!!!”..

Janice – mmm I do yeah..its email traffic generation aswell – you generate a lot of traffic…laughs….thanks I don’t sound like that!?

John – no no – a bit deeper!

*Janice Laughs*

John, What will you miss the most about Janice?

John – About Janice? …..*Long pause*

3 hours later

*longer pause…Janice laughs*

John – I think I’ll definitely miss the friendship actually because whilst we work together, I don’t think, we don’t work together as, I tend to be like that anyway but I can be like that more with Janice than anybody else, we tend not to work, although she’s effectively in my team or whatever or as I was the Sales and Marketing… its not like that – it is just as the blog says – its Janice and John

…and what will you miss about the broker world?

John – I’ll miss the gossip and in the insurance world in the broker world I love (as I was new to it in 2006) love the little bits of gossip and you get Insurance Times ringing me up or Post Mag ringing me up for some off the record gossip or I ring them and give them off the record gossip or the press office and individual brokers ring me up and say “have you heard about this?. What about that? What do you think?” I like that stuff…

Janice interrupts – yeah probably more in the broker world than any other world.

John – I do like to. Oh its fantastic in the broker world – its all about personality and individuals so there is always some little tittle tattle thing going on (Janice laughs and agrees) either at me or Janice or Igal or David or Towergate or small broker, big broker or all those things – I’ll miss that..I’ll miss that definitely.

Any New Year’s resolutions?

Janice – No I never make new years resolutions

John interrupts– really don’t you? Why not, need to give you some!

Janice – No never I just find them so repetitive…

John – Hello..I mean look at your appraisal – you have loads of things to be doing!

*Janice laughs*

John – I would always make one or two and they I would always..if I make one I do it otherwise what’s the point? And my central resolution this year is simply make the most of the opportunity in front of me because, I’ve never not worked and I’m not going to work I’m going to write and fish and ‘stuff’ yeah..so just make the most of it – don’t sit in front of the telly watching the Jeremy Kyle show because that is such a waste of a life and I’ll be really angry with myself if that’s what I do…

Anything else you would like to add?

John – yes I think that this is the last time that I’m going to be doing a blog anymore, I wont be doing the next video blog and I think it’s the apt time to handover the legacy…laughs..the apt time to say the baton has changed from me to Janice

*John hands Janice a notebook…*

Janice – Thank you *laughs*

John – There’s nothing in it!

Janice – I know! I’m used to that

John – There’s no wise words of wisdom

Janice – I wasn’t expecting any!

John – It just says in there its bloody hard work! So good luck

Janice – Thanks – So that’s it for now – this is the last time that John and I will be doing the first and last video blog together and if you have got any questions/comments – you liked it/hated it – then you know drop us a line or give us a call.

John – I liked it actually, I liked it..

Janice – you liked what?

John – I liked it, thought it was very good

Janice – right. *laughs*

John – that’s my comment! *laughs*

Janice – thanks…forever he has to get the last word!

John – Cheerio…bye bye *laughs*

Janice – Bye *laughs*

What’s new?

Why not check out our new specialist Commercial Property Owner’s insurance. Whether your client owns one property or ten, we have the policy and options to suit their individual needs. We cover most commercial properties, from office blocks and shops to warehouses and factories.

You can also now deal with mid term amendments on Fast Trade.  We plan to introduce more products and functionality to the site soon, so watch this space.

If you want to take a look now, just click here.

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Well, how does the Chief Risk Officer of Aviva get to be writing a column out of John Kitson’s blog?  Surfing the net one day, I stumbled accidentally upon Insurance Times and couldn’t miss reading John’s blog.  What were my reactions?  Shock, horror, followed by praise and admiration and then eventually … disappointment … once I discovered that the blog about “my holiday with my hubby” had been written by our own Janice Deacon.  Misguidedly, I thought it merited an e-mail to John and anyway here I am.

So what exactly does the CRO of Aviva do?  My job is to make sure that we have an adequate framework for identifying our risks, and taking appropriate actions to limit the impact of them on our customers and shareholders.  For the last 9 months, the focus has been substantially on the immediate risks that we face on our balance sheet.  We need to be sure that we invest our assets wisely, don’t invest in securities that we don’t understand and don’t invest in assets that won’t give us an appropriate return relative to the risk that we carry.  We also reduce our risk by reinsuring parts of our business, but we need to assess the reinsurance companies that we do business with and check that they really are reducing our risk profile and not simply adding to it!

Despite the uncertainties of the economic outlook, and the prospect of rising unemployment until 2010, we are beginning to see some stability returning to financial markets.  At Aviva, our messages about our strong capital position are now being understood.  Our re-confirmed AA rating from Standard and Poors has helped to confirm our strength.  I think the message is finally getting through that insurers aren’t like banks – not least because we have very strong liquidity positions based on receiving customers’ premiums before we pay out on claims.

As CRO, I also have to keep one eye on the horizon and think what are the new risks that we could face in the future.  This could cover risks from climate change, regulatory change and also new risks as we increase the footprint of our business in the Asia region.  One of the biggest items on my agenda at present is Solvency II.  You may have seen how after years of discussion, a European Solvency II insurance directive has finally been agreed.  Three years until implementation in 2012 sounds like a long period of time, but there is a vast amount of work to be done across the regulators and the industry as we move to modern risk-based supervision of insurance businesses.  In terms of the Solvency II landscape, we are at a crossroads.

The original Solvency II rules were drafted during a relatively benign period for markets. But the financial crisis, particularly its effects on corporate bonds, has exposed a weak spot for annuity providers. From a UK perspective, the challenge now is to show regulators in other countries that this is a problem that is heading in their direction, especially in those countries with mature demographics.

I think there will also be a number of changes that customers and intermediaries will see.  Solvency II is likely to accelerate the trend towards risk-based pricing, changing the prices for many customers and putting the spotlight on the need for improved risk prevention measures.

It also wouldn’t be surprising if we see more companies begin to move to branch based business models within the European Union, making use of existing legislative freedoms, and potentially securing some capital benefits under the Solvency II regime.  Finally, it is just not all about financial and regulatory risk.  With the re-branding now successfully behind us in the UK, but with work on-going in Poland and Ireland, we are very aware of the importance of reputational risk management across our business.  Our brand is now one of the most valuable financial services brands in the world.  With a constant focus on the quality of our customer position we believe that we can continue to grow this brand value.

Success in business and in life is often about learning from experience.  That is why Aviva is one of the World’s biggest and best insurance groups, providing millions of customers with prosperity and peace of mind. My learning is that I must be more focused in future when surfing the internet for Solvency II information and spend less time reading John’s blog!  Anyway thanks for the opportunity.

Jim Webber (Chief Risk Officer of Aviva)

I’m Brian Wallace, Head of Aviva Risk Management Solutions.  I’m spending some time gardening this week to the sound of Jimi Hendrix playing in the background (“Little Wing” what a great song!) and thinking how well Rangers will do in Europe next season…In case you’re wondering I’m actually on holiday this week but I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity like this was I?! Guest blogging for Janice and John, I’m up for that and the chance to put some thoughts down. Anyway, I like relaxing in the garden, getting away from it all……..but it’s funny how your mind works even when relaxed………….

‘What will people want to hear from me?’ Usually when I talk about my team, I mention things like ‘adding value’ or ‘offering support’ through our training & consultancy and risk management services. All good stuff of course, but we never really talk about ‘saving lives’.

But we have saved lives.  So too have the many brokers who provide risk management advice and support to their clients.

So when we as insurers ask for the right kind of guards to be present on dangerous machinery, we save lives. When we call for the licences of prospective drivers at work to be checked, we save lives. When we insist that laws covering fire in commercial buildings are complied with, we save lives. And when someone takes on board our suggestion to fit a sprinkler system, we save lives.  That’s serious stuff.

And why am I mentioning this? Two reasons really. The first is to remind us that as an industry we do something we can be proud of, and I mean it. I’d stop short of saying insurers are heroic – we’re not nurses, doctors or fire-fighters after all – but we can be life-savers all the same.

The second, and perhaps most important reason, is to remind us to DO MORE risk management.

I had the opportunity to talk to some rising stars of the broker world at the recent IT Pack event in London. It was great to be able to discuss with them the importance of risk management for their clients. Risk management – I’m a realist…it’s not a subject this audience would usually find interesting but they really seemed to understand the need not to just identify risks but to look at someone’s business as a tangible thing that needs protecting.

We’re really proud of the work we do, and also the superb results we’ve helped brokers achieve on our NEBOSH courses (you can’t be over-qualified!) and how relevant they’ve been with helping their clients.

If you’d like to find out more, check out our website – www.aviva.co.uk/risksolutions or email me brian.wallace@aviva.co.uk

Well I think that covers everything for now so back to the garden for me, some more Jimi Hendrix and dreaming of Rangers success in Europe next season………………

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The It Pack is a series of discussion events for brokers that have fewer than five years’ experience and are ambitious and enthusiastic…they’re the ones to watch for in the future! If you want to register yourself or want to nominate someone you know, just click here.

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It’s great news because members can now look to Facility 110 to provide underwriting solutions for risks that fall outside of Aviva’s remit.

A great start

We’ve seen a fantastic response from members since the launch, with over 120 signing up and using the facility.

Here’s a sample of what they’ve been saying,

“The service has been excellent, with a really fast turn-around on quotes. Documents for cases bound also seem to come through quickly.”

“We like the fact we can discuss complex cases with people who understand our needs and react accordingly”.

“It’s fair to say it has made a big difference to our business. Already we have secured orders for approx £50 k of premium, which would have been difficult to place without the new facility.”

“One of our account executives was trying to obtain terms for his local rugby club and Facility 110 proved very helpful. The service was good and saved us time in getting the business placed.”

“We’ve already used Facility 110 to quote for high risk/hazardous industrial cleaning, heavy haulage, scrap metalworker and even an off-road centre for quad bikes & ATVs”

Facility 110 is set to get better and better

Since the launch we’ve added specialist trades such as Residual value. Watch this space for more news and please keep sending us your feedback, we use it to improve the service.

Ta-daaaa, www.aviva.co.uk/broker, your new website is here. Take a look around. As you’ll see, it’s all about you. Your needs as a broker, what makes your job easier and which navigation works best for you.

Seeing as our brokers contributed so much to the new design, now seems like the right time to give yourself a pat on the back – good work.

What’s new?

First off, finding your way around the site is refreshingly easy – no-nonsense navigation that’s intuitively laid out makes browsing a breeze.

Bespoke contact details for individual brokers identify you when you log in, so that membership services and benefits are automatically displayed in an easy-access tab titled ‘Exclusive’.

Key features

Put aviva.co.uk/broker to work and see what it can do for you:

•    let us know your agency details (under ‘My Profile’ and we’ll give you all the relevant contact details)
•    search smarter, including looking for products based on your clients’ occupations
•    double quick downloads for stationery and other documents
•    get step-by-step help at ‘How do I?’
•    find answers to common questions in our FAQs section – fast
•    easy-peasy reports and claims management
•    stay up-to-date on all things insurance with ‘The Loop’ – product updates, current promotions, breaking industry news and key-note opinions
•    receive just the communications you want from us – no more, no less

Speed to Fast Trade

From aviva.co.uk/broker you can jump straight to Fast Trade, our new commercial online trading platform.

As well as the existing five-package products, you can now quote and buy our new Commercial Property Owner’s package there too.

Quotes are much easier thanks to straightforward navigation. Plus, we’ve improved our quotability rates so if you do get referred, we’ll get back to you quicker.

Fast Trade provides copies of all quotes and new business documentation instantly, so you can secure cover for your clients in minutes.

Coming soon

Super-fast access to online mid-term adjustments, renewals and cancellations are on their way so there’s yet more great stuff to look forward to.

Our newly erected Aviva Tunnel

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The BIBA conference in Manchester was a huge success. Just imagine – 1,400 brokers under one roof. Awesome.

The aisles were bursting at the seams. There were brokers, insurers and other interested parties all getting the low down on the main events of the year.

The place was really buzzing. In fact, it had the kind of atmosphere you wouldn’t normally associate with a conference.

Time for some networking

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Better still, our own Aviva stand was a big hit and every one of our team got chatting to countless brokers. It was great to get feedback on how they would like to see us develop as a company.

The whole event was rounded off nicely by an emotional talk by Erin Brockovich who gave us an account of her legal battle against a giant Californian utility company over water pollution.

I just can’t wait for the next BIBA conference at London Excel.

Quite a few people read this … okay, a few … well, you do!

Well, at least people give me ideas for content … and what to write about …

No, they do really … quite a lot actually …

But if it’s not about Aviva (or sort of related) then it is a no no …

Why?

Because this is the Aviva rebrand blog!  The clue is in the title!

So feedback as to why I can’t witter on about my working relationship with Igal which is really good (cheesy but true) is not Aviva rebrand so …

“No comment” …

If it’s about how I inspire Janice Deakin to go above and beyond the call of duty (which she does) …

“No comment” ….  (Other than it is the other way round … she inspires me …just as cheesy but just as true)

If it’s about “What’s your favourite film?” or “What book did you last read?” or bizarrely “What toy did you most cherish as a child?” (where did that come from!) – well, then it’s “Mind your own business and what’s that got to do with the price of bread?”

Occasionally I get a request for content/a ‘plug’/a ‘sell my story please’ which is relevant to the rebrand and I go “Okay then … I will mention you/it/that/they/him/her etc. etc.”

It happened this week …

“Please, please” came the request, “shower this new development in praise on your blog”.

“Shower?” I said, “Yes, absolutely”.

So, what is it?

It is our new Broker Online service/offer/proposition – call it what you like …

It has taken us a long time (some say too long … not me … but some) but it is here and it’s now launched/ready on the stocks/off the shelf …

Yes, there will be teething issues (milk teeth, I hope) …

Yes, adoption by all brokers will take a bit of time …

Yes, it has the latest technology integrated, e.g. personalisation ….

Yes, it’s got commercial products online ready to sell; straight through for Brokers only …

Yes, it’s got other links/functionality, etc …

Yes, it will have links to very competitive Personal Lines products/services later this year …

Yes, it’s one big step for Aviva …

Yes, it’s just the start …

Yes, we are proud …

Yes, it’s Aviva rebrand.

In fact, it’s just like the new Facility 110 (Aviva rebrand) …

You see there are a couple of big, big lessons for rebrands that we have studied/read up on/pondered …

1.    Take your time (we have) … don’t rush (we haven’t)

2.    Shout (we have … too loud some say – well, no point in whispering)

3.    You can be more than a name change – don’t just change the logo/the colour (some of our competitors have … no names … but I have a pen to prove it!)

So bring out “New news” … something that shows things aren’t going to be the same … it’s not the same old, same old … it’s not just the old offer/service with a new yellow, shiny wrapper and new pen …

Let’s be clear Broker Independence Group is new news …

Facility 110 is new news (obviously not so much news if you aren’t in Club 110) …

Fast Trade (part of our online offering) is new news …

Our Broker web service is new news …

And there is so much more to come …

A shower?

I don’t think so!

I am Alan, son of Sander, father to Fraser, native of Kilmarnock, friend to English Andrew, I am many things to many people but at this moment I am the ‘Johnblogstitute’. Normally I look after Partnerships for Norwich Union, soon to be Aviva. I know a lot of you out there will be thinking what’s he doing writing on John’s blog, he’s not in the broker business but, here at Aviva we embrace different perspectives. After all, Partnerships is a big piece of Aviva’s distribution strength in the UK, working in concert with our colleagues in the broker world – the lines, to be honest, get quite blurry sometimes but that just adds to the challenge!

One of the biggest perks of being in Partnerships is meeting people from a wide range of backgrounds, culture and organisations. Take for example last Monday; we, in conjunction, with the lovely ladies at Insurance Times, met some existing and potential partners, I am with the Irish on this – there’s no such thing as strangers just friends you haven’t yet met. It was an interesting and lively debate with lots of strong views on what makes a good partnership and what makes a partnership great.  A key theme though was definitely both parties having skin in the game.  Hopefully everyone involved left with a sense of Aviva’s commitment to the Partnership market, I know I left thinking that Partnerships in many ways are a bit like a bag of Revels™ – you don’t always get what you want or expect but if there are two of you sharing the bag, chances are there’s something in it for both of you.

We, Aviva, have had a ‘hard’ 12 months in Partnerships; Competition Commission and FSA direction on the future of the payment protection market, the economic environment and the subsequent impact on trading conditions, some very good friends falling on difficult times, consolidation in the financial services industry – the perfect storm I have heard.  But blow me, on the other hand there is a wealth of opportunities and challenges if we turn and face into it. As Sir Winston Churchill said “kites rise highest against the wind, not with it”.  In Partners’ branches across the country, staff are doing a roaring trade in household insurance – with limited opportunity to sell standard banking fare, insurance products offer them a great opportunity to build on their relationship with the customer in front of them – a “moment of truth” as Cilla Black would say.  Like I said, it gets a bit blurry sometimes between Partnership and the broker world, but something they definitely have in common is that for some of the most important insurance products both Partners and Brokers have a powerful moment; face to face; to engage their customers in a conversation about protecting the most important things in their world.  Our name change to Aviva in June will help us put more of Aviva UK products and services in their hands to sell where and when it makes sense for the customer to buy. How cool will that be!

Alan Sanderson is Director of Affinities