Direct Line’s boss yesterday refused to discuss his future at the insurance firm as it prepares to be taken over by larger rival Aviva.
Adam Winslow said he had his mind on the job at hand as he hailed progress in turning around a business he has only led since last March.
‘I’m focused on running this business as an independent, standalone business,’ he told the Mail, in his first public comments about his future since Aviva’s takeover was agreed before Christmas.
He added: ‘We’ve made really good progress, we’ve got a ton of opportunity and therefore focusing on the things we can control and influence is the mindset I have and the mindset the business has.
He said he enjoyed ‘the job and unless and until it changes, that’s my primary and total focus’.
He added: ‘I’ve got real pride in my colleagues and their performance last year. My focus is on performance, the business results and the turnaround and that’s how I think about things on a day to day basis.’
Uncertainty: Direct Line boss Adam Winslow said he had his mind on the job as at hand as he hailed progress in turning around a business he has only led since last March
The deal with Aviva has cast doubt over Winslow’s future.
Asked if he had spoken to Aviva boss Amanda Blanc about whether he could continue in the role, he said: ‘That’s not something I can answer.’
Annual results published yesterday showed Direct Line swung to a £205million operating profit for 2024, up from a £190million loss in 2023.
But the group is on course to be swallowed up by Aviva later this year after agreeing in December to a £3.7billion takeover.
Winslow said that despite the deal – which still awaits shareholder and regulatory approval – the company must continue its turnaround plan.
He said yesterday: ‘While we need to plan appropriately for this potential takeover, we need to make sure we don’t take our foot off the accelerator when it comes to delivering business change.’
Winslow’s innovations include the decision to offer the Direct Line brand on price comparison websites for the first time – a move that the business had previously long resisted though its other brands such as Churchill were available on the sites.
Direct Line shares fell 0.8 per cent.
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