AIG’s Australian general insurance business has rebranded under the name Chartis as it seeks to distance itself from the lingering reputational issues attached to its parent company’s name.

Chartis Australasia chief executive Chris Townsend said despite the strong performance of the general insurance business both locally and globally, he acknowledged there had been issues with public perception of the AIG brand.

“A company’s brand and the associated image and public perception that comes with it are hugely important factors for any business. This is something that we have been acutely aware of given the well-publicised challenges our parent company has faced in the past 15 months,” Townsend said.

The group hopes the Chartis brand will signify the autonomy of the Australian business. The group also announced it had restructured its Australian business along three lines, its corporate, commercial and consumer business divisions.