’We’re building on the foundations of our US wholesale business underwritten in London and are confident about the opportunity writing in the US surplus lines market gives us,’ says chief executive
Aviva has announced plans to establish a new onshore surplus lines business in the US.
Based in New York, the insurer said the move is another step in its strategy to accelerate growth in its global corporate and specialty (GCS) business and builds on its experiece underwriting US business via its London market platform.
Aviva also felt the move would complement the US portfolio currently underwritten by UK and Ireland GCS, accessing business that does not travel to London.
Jason Storah, Aviva’s UK and Ireland general insurance chief executive, said: “Today’s announcement is a notable step in our ambition to be a leading global specialty insurer.
”We’re building on the foundations of our US wholesale business underwritten in London and are confident about the opportunity writing in the US surplus lines market gives us.”
New leader
Mike Karmilowicz has been appointed to lead the US business, bringing more than three decades of commercial lines leadership and experience building teams, alongside launching and scaling specialty products.
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Aviva is targeting Q2 2026 to start trading, subject to obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals.
Storah said:“Karmilowicz is well positioned to grow Aviva’s US business sustainably, with a track record of building and leading successful businesses across major CL markets.”
Karmilowicz added: “I’m excited to build a modern, digitally enabled surplus and specialty lines business backed by Aviva’s history, underwriting excellence and trusted broker relationships.
”Our goal is to create a differentiated operation that offers exceptional service and delivers meaningful value to the market.”
His career began in 2019, when he joined a local north London newspaper after graduating from the University of Sheffield with a first-class honours degree in journalism.
He took up the position of deputy news editor at Insurance Times in March 2023, before being promoted to his current role in May 2024.View full Profile
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