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Aegon UK is aiming for further growth after announcing changes to the operating structure of its UK business.

The restructuring will see Mark Laidlaw, finance director of Aegon UK, assume increased responsibility for strategy development and delivery across the group, including legal affairs.

Maurice Brunet, previously director of corporate business for Aegon UK, will now take up the role of director of strategy development and delivery, reporting to Mr Laidlaw.

Aegon's individual and corporate life and pensions businesses currently operate as separate business units, focusing on the company's two target customer groups. These will now be joined and the combined business will be led by Feilim Mackle, who takes up the new role of director of life and pensions operations.

Mr Mackle joined Aegon in 2007, as director of individual business, from Royal Bank of Scotland, where he was managing director of retail banking. He was also previously managing director of UK sales for Standard Life.

Otto Thoresen, chief executive of Aegon UK, said: "Aegon UK has achieved consistently strong growth in new business and profitability in the last three years. We have moved to centre stage in the UK life and pensions sector, bringing new thinking to the market with product innovation and a focus on the emerging needs of our customers.

"It is important that we keep developing our organisation as we move forward. In their new roles, Mr Brunet, Mr Laidlaw and Mr Mackle will add momentum to the next phase of our growth. The new structure will put renewed focus on developing our strategy for the future and on delivering on our strategic objectives.

"Bringing together our corporate and individual life and pensions businesses will allow us to develop and improve our approach to customer service, product development and marketing.

"We believe there is a significant opportunity to achieve growth in the UK life assurance and pensions market. The changes we have set out today will ensure Aegon is well positioned to achieve our ambitions."

Trefor Owen Jones, chartered financial planner for Rhyl-based Buckles, said: "It is already one of the leading pensions businesses, so if they are placing an increased focus on this and if it helps further develop the relationship between Aegon and IFAs, it can only be a positive development."

Craig Kennedy, IFA for Chester-based Innes Reid, said: "It does not have as big a share of the market as it would like, so this re-structuring could help it grow further, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating."