Colin Williams is leaving his role as Aviva’s MD of workplace savings & retirement and financial advice to join Phoenix in a move that sees him reunited with former Aviva colleagues Andy Briggs and Andy Curran.
Williams is joining Phoenix Group as Managing Director, Pensions and Savings and that he will join the business in June this year.
Williams has been instrumental in the development of Aviva’s workplace pensions proposition, joining the provider in 2015 when it acquired his then employer Friends Life. While at Friends Life, formerly Friends Provident, Williams worked with both Phoenix Group CEO Andy Briggs and Phoenix CEO, savings and retirement, UK and Europe, Andy Curran. All three transitioned to Aviva when it acquired Friends Life. Briggs left Aviva in April 2019 and joined Phoenix in November of that year. Curran left Aviva last June.
He has previously held roles at Axa Corporate Benefits, Fidelity International and Prudential Assurance, and was a non-executive director of Sesame Bankhall Group.
Aviva has named Matt McGill as its interim managing director – workplace savings & retirement.
Curran says: “Colin is a terrific hire and is absolutely the right leader for Phoenix’s Pensions and Savings business. We are continuing to invest in a market-leading team who will deliver on our growth strategy, placing customers at the heart of everything we do. Colin brings an outstanding leadership track record of delivering successful long-term savings and retirement businesses, and a breadth of business experience that I believe is crucial to accelerate our growth ambitions.”
Williams says: “I believe Phoenix has a great business model, a clear strategy and a talented management team, which uniquely positions Phoenix to meet the growing and more complex needs of customers, regardless of whether they are saving through their workplace pensions or through individual savings. I’m excited to be joining Phoenix and very much looking forward to being part of this team.”
An Aviva spokesperson says: “We can confirm that Colin Williams has taken the decision to leave Aviva. We thank him for his contribution over the last 11 years and wish him the best. We have a strong and experienced management team in place. Workplace Savings & Retirement and Aviva Financial Advice remains a vital part of the UK Savings & Retirement business and contributes significantly to the wider group. We will run a full process to find the right successor for Colin’s role.
“In the interim, Matt McGill will step into the role of MD – Workplace Savings & Retirement. Matt is very well qualified to lead this area, having worked in and lead our Corporate Workplace team for a number of years and holding strong relationships within the marketplace.”