Aviva appoints Andrew Wilkinson as UK GI technical claims director

Andrew Wilkinson has been appointed technical claims director at Aviva UK General Insurance, reporting directly to Rob Townend, Aviva’s UK claims director.

Wilkinson joined Aviva – then Commercial Union – in 1997, and has held a number of claims roles since, most recently as head of technical claims. He has led Aviva on many key industry issues, none more so than on the need for personal injury reform. He has helped to shape the industry’s response to the growing number of soft tissue bodily injury claims, and sits on the ABI Personal Injury Committee.

He has also represented Aviva on key industry developments and was instrumental in shaping the development of MedCo, the system for sourcing medical reports in soft tissue injury claims.

Wilkinson also sits on the ABI Technical Committee for Credit Hire.

Speaking on his promotion, Townend said: “Andrew’s appointment is a reflection of the fantastic people we have working in our UK GI business. I am delighted to be able to choose someone of Andrew’s calibre from my team. He is a well-known and respected figure across the industry, and his appointment shows that our claims capability continues to grow from strength to strength.”

Wilkinson’s appointment follows the departure of Richard Ellis, who retires in October as technical claims director, after a career with Aviva that has spanned 36 years.

Speaking about Ellis’ departure, Townend said: “Richard made a huge contribution to the Technical Claims agenda, from his work on personal injury reform, to driving our global technical agenda within Aviva. His eye for detail is legendary as is his grasp of highly complex issues. He is hugely respected in the business and industry at large, and we will all miss him.”

Mark Dugdale