Tributes have been paid to the former chief executive of Aviva, David Barral, who died in a traffic accident on Tuesday (October 14).
Barral, who was just 63, was chief executive of Aviva UK & Ireland until 2015. He held a number of senior roles at the insurer, including chief operating officer and chair of its UK life and pensions board
Since leaving Aviva, he has worked as an independent director for LV= and held board level roles at Rownamoor, Curtis Bank and Virgin Wines. Most recently he worked as a strategic adviser to Harwood Capital. He started his career working for Abbey Life.
In a statement his family said: “We are all absolutely devastated at the loss of the most wonderful man. Rest in peace David we will all miss you.”
Barral was born in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The father of three lived with his wife in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
In a statement Aviva said:”We are very sad to hear of the death of David Barral, a much valued former colleague and leader at Aviva. Our deepest condolences and prayers go to David’s family at this time.”
He was remembered by a number of industry peers, who described him as generous and welcoming, and commented on the positive impact he had on the industry.
