Aviva’s Storah gives update on DLG integration following takeover

Aviva’s UK and Ireland general insurance chief executive Jason Storah has given an update on the insurer’s takeover of Direct Line Group (DLG), giving insight into how the integration is going.

Aviva completed its acquisition of DLG in July 2025 and in a half year trading update yesterday (15 August 2025), the insurer said that the integration was “well underway”.

Giving further insight into the integration phase, Storah said that while its still “very early days”, frameworks are in place and communication between teams has been strong.

He told Insurance Times: “We have very clearly provided clarity on the number of the key leadership positions. We have the teams and performance frameworks in place around the running of that business.

“There is good dialogue between the teams – I’ve been in Leeds, London and their Motability office up in Liverpool, a number of my team and some of the other Aviva executive leaders have spent time in a number of the other DLG offices.

“So, it is going really well. I’ll steal a line from Amanda [Blanc], she said we are as excited about that business today as we were on 23 December 2024. [We] are just looking forward to the opportunities ahead with it.”

Financial update

In the H1 2025 update yesterday, Aviva revealed that it secured £4,141m in premiums across UK&I in the six months to 30 June 2025, up from £3,809m during the same period last year.

The growth was driven by a 3% year-on-year increase in UK personal lines premiums, which was supported by growth in intermediated markets, including the travel partnership with Nationwide.

Meanwhile, UK commercial lines premiums grew 15% due to pricing actions, new business growth and the Probitas acquisition, which was announced in July 2024.

Storah said there had been “growth across the book”, with him adding: “We’ve really maintained discipline on bottom lines, so we’ve held rate as much as possible – we’ve certainly held rate more than the market, I would say, across a number of lines in both personal and commercial.

“Inflation is back down to a more normal level from where it was a couple of years ago [and] that obviously helps.”

Group chief executive Blanc added: “Over the past five years we’ve transformed the performance and prospects of Aviva.

“Today we are the UK’s leading diversified insurer, with a strong track record of delivery and an unwavering commitment to our customers. We are very well positioned to accelerate growth in the capital-light areas of wealth, health and general insurance and deliver more and more for our shareholders.”