CGU and sister company Norwich are to be rebranded as Aviva. The rebranding is part of the international CGNU group’s move to bring all its global operations – some 50 names – together.

CGU MD Ian Balfe said this morning that the rebranding exercise will begin later in the year. Subsidiary companies like Swann and Associated Marine will retain their own identities.

Mr Balfe said the new name, invented by the company’s UK image-makers, “grows on you after a while”.

CGNU group CEO Richard Harvey announced the changes in London yesterday, at the same time as he revealed a 41% increase in global profit to £2004 million.

Mr Balfe said the Australian operation wrote a record profit for 2001, achieving a core operating ratio of 100%.