RSA announces new GCOO
Multinational insurer RSA Group announced on 15 April that it would be appointing Paul Whittaker as its new group chief operating officer (GCOO), effective as of 1 May. Paul comes to the role having previously served as chief executive for emerging markets, and according to the Group, in the new role he will ‘lead the completion of our strategic disposals and support our remaining emerging markets businesses’, ‘bring together those areas where we can really add value as a group – IT, global specialty lines, underwriting, claims and broker relationships/sales – to ensure we deliver performance improvements and exploit our knowledge and scale across boundaries’, and ‘to bring together the Group Corporate Centre to ensure it is co-ordinated, aligned behind key business objectives and as lean and effective as possible’.
“I am delighted to appoint Paul as [GCOO],” commented RSA Group’s CEO Stephen Hester. “This role reflects our new strategy and will provide essential co-ordination and focus for the successful delivery of the self-help measures underway to recapitalise the business, improve performance and develop lean, low-cost, efficient operations.”
Also in April, RSA announced the ‘agreed resignation’ of Adrian Brown, executive director and CEO of its UK and Western Europe businesses. Although Adrian resigned from the Board, he will continue in his executive role until a successor – for whom a search has commenced – is appointed. “RSA has been my home for 25 years,” said Adrian. “I have enormous affection for the Group and confidence in its future.”