When asked to pick their favourite gadget, most chief executives go for the BlackBerry. Richard Harvey prefers his Brompton folding bicycle. It is typical of the head of Aviva, who is happy to perpetuate the image of a small-town West Country boy. He does not adopt many of the affectations of the boss of a global giant — there is no chauffeur, no box at the opera.
But he does have some of the other traits seen in leaders of commerce — the single-mindedness, the emphasis on excellence and the willingness to make unpopular decisions.
That is how he managed to come out on top after one of the UK’s biggest mergers, when the insurers Norwich Union and CGU came together to form Aviva.
Likewise, when he decided that the insurer’s UK operations needed rejuvenation, he reshuffled the entire organisation and moved his no-nonsense general insurance head, Patrick Snowball, in to run the British arm. The 4,000 job losses are part of the fat-trimming.
This weekend Mr Harvey will complete a 60km walk for the Aviva Breakthrough Breast Cancer weekend, having raised almost £50,000 for the charity.