Scottish Widows has appointed Gary Burchett to the role of protection director.

He will have overall accountability for the management and development of the protection business, and working across Lloyds Banking Group to optimise the end-to-end proposition for customers and intermediaries.

Burchett will report directly to Craig Thornton, general insurance and protection director at Lloyds Banking Group. The role was previously held by Jackie Leiper, who moved to the position of distribution director in January 2018.

He started his career at British Airways before moving to Legal & General, where his roles included managing director of housing, strategy director and international development director. He then established his own financial services consultancy business and has undertaken several consultancy positions, including head of intermediary protection with Lloyds Banking Group.

Thornton said: “I’m delighted to welcome Gary to the team.  His invaluable knowledge and expertise will be central to helping us strengthen and grow our presence in the Protection market across the whole Group, and in helping to bridge the UK’s protection gap. Our commitment to helping people at the most difficult and challenging times of their lives continues to drive everything we do.”

Burchett added: “I’m delighted to be joining at such an exciting and interesting time for the Group. The Protection business is vital in supporting and strengthening our relationships with customers and intermediaries, and I look forward to working with all my new colleagues to grow this important part of the business.”