Norwich Union Insurance has announced the biggest shake-up of its top executives since its merger with CGU three years ago. The company is reducing the size of its senior management team from ten to seven to streamline its operations.

Norwich Union Insurance has announced the biggest shake-up of its top executives since its merger with CGU three years ago.

The company is reducing the size of its senior management team from 10 to seven to streamline its operations.

The reorganisation is designed to simplify the structure of the company and improve service to customers and insurance intermediaries.

Norwich Union Insurance is one of Norfolk's biggest employers, with more than 8000 people working for the firm in Norwich.

The management reorganis-ation came as parent company Aviva announced a slimming- down of its own board, timed to coincide with the retire-ment of directors Philip Twyman and Tony Wyand.

Under the shake-up, Norwich Union Insurance chief executive Patrick Snowball will become Aviva's executive director for general insurance.

He will continue to be based in Norwich, running Norwich Union Insurance, but will also take on responsibility for Aviva's general insurance businesses in Canada, Ireland and Asia.

At Norwich Union Insurance, Bridget McIntyre is to become sales and marketing director, as the roles of retail, marketing, corporate partnership and underwriting are combined.

Simon Machell has been appointed customer services director after a merger of the claims and operations divisions.

Partnerships director Graham Boffey and intermed-iary business services director Ken Applegate will no longer be on the Norwich Union Insurance board, and will instead report to Ms McIntyre and Mr Machell respectively.

Cathryn Riley, retail director of Norwich Union Insurance, is leaving to become managing director of Norwich Union Healthcare, based in Southampton.

The moves will take effect on July 1.

Patrick Snowball said: "This more simplified structure has a strong focus on customer service. The changes will create opportunities for us to share learning and to focus on operational excellence across our general insurance businesses worldwide.

"We are committed to delivering excellent service to our intermediaries and we expect this to further improve as the benefits of a simpler organisation become appar-ent."

The other members of Norwich Union Insurance's senior management team will remain on the board.

They are intermediary business director Ken Wallace, finance director Mark Hodges, human resources director John Ainley and IT director Alex Robinson.

The reorganisation of departments will also mean changes to the roles of some senior managers across the company. These changes are due to begin over the next few weeks and will be completed by the end of next month.

But the company stressed that the roles of most staff working in Norwich will not be directly affected by the changes.

Norwich Union is the UK's largest insurer with a market share of around 16pc.