Aviva appoints Michele Golunska as MD of Wealth and Advice*

Aviva announceD the appointment of Michele Golunska as Managing Director of Wealth and Advice*. Michele will have responsibility for Aviva’s intermediary platform business, the workplace business, heritage customer solutions and Aviva’s advice operations comprising of Succession Wealth¹, Aviva Financial Advisers and Sesame Bankhall Group.

The appointment not only signals Aviva’s commitment to the strategically important Wealth market, where we have strong market positions, but also recognises the growing importance of advice.

Doug Brown, CEO of UK & Ireland Life at Aviva, said: “I am delighted to announce Michele Golunska as our MD of Wealth and Advice*. Michele has considerable experience in the Wealth market, most recently in her current role as CEO of Sesame Bankhall Group.

“Aviva is a major player in the IFA and workplace markets, and we are also significantly expanding our advice capability to ensure that we can offer much-needed financial advice to more customers. Michele has a key role to play in delivering our ambitious plans for these areas and I am delighted to welcome her to my team.”

Michele Golunska said: “This is a great opportunity to build on Aviva’s strengths in the Wealth and Advice markets. I am committed to strengthening the relationships we have with the advice community including James Stevenson and his team at Succession Wealth. I am a passionate believer in the importance of providing high quality advice to customers to help improve their financial wellbeing.”

Following Michele’s appointment, Ross Liston Sesame Bankhall Group Managing Director, Distribution, will take over as interim CEO of Sesame Bankhall Group*.

Rob Barker, currently MD Wealth, is leaving Aviva to pursue other opportunities. Doug Brown said: “We thank Rob for his considerable contribution over the last eight years during which time he has led Aviva’s Wealth business, the Health and Protection businesses, as well as heading up UK Strategic Partnerships, Distribution and Propositions.”  

Aviva is also appointing a Managing Director of Direct Wealth, to build on its existing direct operations which comprise its direct-to-customer platform business and Wealthify. This will reinforce Aviva’s ability to offer solutions to customers whether they wish to take financial advice or deal directly. Sarah Layden, Interim Direct Wealth Director, will lead the team on an interim basis.

* Subject to regulatory approval

¹ The transaction is subject to FCA approval and is expected to complete in the second half of 2022

-ENDS-

Notes

• We are the UK’s leading Insurance, Wealth & Retirement business and we operate in the UK, Ireland and Canada. We also have international investments in Singapore, China and India.
• We help our 18.5 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 325 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2021, we paid £30.2 billion in claims and benefits to our customers.
• Aviva is a market leader in sustainability. In 2021, we announced our plan to become a Net Zero carbon emissions company by 2040, the first major insurance company in the world to do so. This plan means Net Zero carbon emissions from our investments by 2040; setting out a clear pathway to get there with a cut of 25% in the carbon intensity of our investments by 2025 and of 60% by 2030; and Net Zero carbon emissions from our own operations and supply chain by 2030.  Find out more about our climate goals at www.aviva.com/climate-goals and our sustainability ambition at www.aviva.com/sustainability.
• Aviva is a Living Wage 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 https://www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people/
• At 31 December 2021, total Group assets under management at Aviva Group were £401 billion. Our Solvency II shareholder capital surplus is £8.8 billion as at 31 March 2022. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
• For more details on what we do, our business and how we help our customers, visit www.aviva.com/about-us 
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