Lloyd’s chief actuary Stewart joins Aviva as personal lines CUO

Aviva has appointed Emma Stewart as personal lines chief underwriting officer, with the appointee set to take up the role on 1 December 2026. 

Stewart joins the insurer from Lloyd’s, where she spent 10 years and most recently served as chief actuary.

Prior to joining Lloyd’s, Stewart specialised in personal lines pricing and reserving.

In her new role, Stewart will lead Aviva’s personal lines underwriting function and join the insurer’s personal lines executive committee.

The appointment follows a period of interim leadership for the underwriting team, with Matt Fothergill having led the function over the past year.

Aviva said Fothergill would remain in post until Stewart joins the business, with further details on his next role due to be announced in due course.

Lloyd’s experience

During her decade at Lloyd’s, Stewart held a number of senior leadership positions and led regulatory and strategic transformation initiatives across the organisation.

Owen Morris, chief executive for UK personal lines at Aviva, said: “Stewart’s deep technical expertise, proven leadership and extensive industry experience will be a real asset to Aviva.

“She has successfully led major regulatory and business transformation initiatives during her career and brings valuable insight and experience to our personal lines business. I look forward to welcoming her to the personal lines leadership team later this year.”

Interim leadership

Morris also thanked Fothergill for leading the underwriting function on an interim basis over the past year.

He added: “I would also like to thank Fothergill for his leadership and contribution over the past year.

“He has played an important role in supporting the integration of the underwriting function and positioning it for future success. We are well placed to continue building on that momentum and delivering excellent outcomes for our customers.”