Pre-tax profit at Aviva dropped 29% year on year to £1.07bn for the first half of 2020, as the provider pledged to transform its performance and improve efficiency.

A nudge from a pension provider drove three times as many savers to seek financial guidance during research by the Money and Pensions Service.

Aviva has appointed Amanda Blanc as chief executive on a £1m basic salary to take over from Maurice Tulloch who is stepping down for family reasons after 14 months.

Aviva has reported a modest 6% increase in operating profit in 2019 from just over £3bn to £3.18bn.