FINANCE: Aviva has appointed Lloyds Banking Group’s head of origination, Barry Fowler, as its new head of commercial finance.
Fowler, who was responsible for origination, strategy and portfolio management within Lloyds’ global corporate real estate team, will report to Clifford Abrahams, chief financial officer, UK Life. He joins Aviva in July.
The firm is in the process of integrating Aviva Commercial Finance, which makes long-term, fixed-rate loans to match Aviva’s annuity book, with Aviva Investors.
Fowler, who spent 18 years with RBS before joining Lloyds, will lead the completion of the integration of the UK Life commercial mortgage team into Aviva Investors and “maximise opportunities for internal and external funds in this market”.
Once the transition to Aviva Investors is complete, Fowler will report to Ian Womack, Aviva Investors’ chief executive real estate.
The integration was announced last year, at which time Kevin Sale, then Aviva’s head of commercial finance, retired after more than 43 years with the company.
bridget.o’connell@estatesgazette.com
