Insurance, investment and pensions group LV= has hired of Liz Timms as head of sales, retirement solutions. The firm says it plans to significantly develop its offering in the life and pensions market in 2010.

Timms joins from Aviva, and reports directly to David Evans, LV=’s sales and marketing director for life and pensions. She will be responsible for growing the group’s relationships with its key partners and opening new regional offices where required, as well as looking at other ways to grow LV=’s retirement planning solutions and products.

LV= has also bolstered its life customer experience team to improve service to advisers and customers. Lisa Mundy and Ian Bell have been appointed as heads of customer experience for the protection and retirement teams respectively. Bell has nearly 20 years’ experience in life and pensions, including seven years as operations director at A J Bell, while Mundy has held a number of senior roles at LV= over the last three years, having previously worked for the Lloyds TSB Group.

Rodney Cook, managing director of LV=’s life and pensions business, said: “Against a tough economic background in 2009 we were delighted to be able to achieve an 8 per cent increase in new business income across our life and pensions operation. This was achieved by keeping a clear focus on identifying and meeting the needs of advisers and their customers quickly