Ben Luckett, head of Aviva Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of UK-listed insurance firm, Aviva, has been promoted to chief innovation officer of the company.
Luckett set up Aviva Ventures in 2015 and its deals have included home security system developer Cocoon and DIY services marketplace Opun, which were later acquired by Ecobee and John Lewis respectively.
Ant Barker has been promoted from senior manager at Aviva Ventures to head the unit. It has also formed an external collaboration agreement with venture capital firm Anthemis Group, which will deploy capital on behalf of Aviva through funds focused on early and growth-stage financial and insurance technology deals.
Luckett said: “We are always looking for investments that create value for Aviva and our customers. Not just short-term financial gain, but investments that give us access to the latest technologies and the best insight.
“They help us shape our strategy, how we do business and how we meet our customers’ ever-changing needs. We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with Anthemis and expand our access to startups in fintech and insurtech. Anthemis is an exciting platform that gives us the strategic place at the table.
“We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with Anthemis and extend our access to fintech and insurtech startups. “Anthemis has a record of putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of its investment decisions, and we will work closely to ensure that all investment opportunities are evaluated with due regard to diversity and inclusion.”
Photo of Ben Luckett courtesy of Aviva.
