Lloyd moves from RSA’s emerging markets businesses, where she led HR strategy for two years, and replaces Karen Myers, who is leaving to pursue a group HR director role outside of the insurance sector.
“I am delighted to be joining the UK & WE team at such an important time for the business,” said Lloyd.
“We have a challenging and exciting agenda as the UK business continues its journey to realise its potential – there is no doubt that HR needs to be at the heart of that journey. For example, through our efforts in recruiting staff who have a passion for customer service, supporting our colleagues with valuable training and development programmes, and creating an environment where talented people can really flourish, we will help the business achieve its ambitions.”
RSA has experienced considerable difficulties over recent years, issuing three profit warnings during 2013’s storm payouts, and suffering accounting irregularities at RSA's Irish division, which left a £200 million black hole in its finances and resulted in the dismissal of senior executives.
Stephen Hester, who joined as group chief executive early last year, recently told Intelligent Insurer magazine that his “mission, together with [his] colleagues, is to turn the company around and to simply realise the potential of RSA.”
Commenting on how RSA’s HR strategy will support this turnaround, Lloyd said: “The HR department is playing a crucial role in helping RSA realise its ambitions. Tightening the strategic focus of the business and improving the overall performance are two core elements of our strategy. Achieving both requires us to operate as efficiently as possible – while maintaining the quality of customer service – and to have talented employees creating products and services that our customers want.”
Prior to her time at RSA, Lloyd held a number of senior roles at Commercial Bank of Qatar, Lloyds Banking Group and Abbey National (now Santander UK). She will now report directly to Steve Lewis, chief executive for the UK and Western Europe.
