Former Aviva CEO David Barral, 63, died in a car crash on Tuesday when his Aston Martin DBX SUV hit a tree off the A58 in Wetherby, Yorkshire.

In a statement to the BBC, Mr Barral’s family said they were devastated by his death.

The statement said: “We are all absolutely devastated at the loss of the most wonderful man," they said.

"Rest in peace David we will all miss you so, so much and you will always fill our hearts. We love you."

The family lived near Harrogate in Yorkshire.

The crash happened on the A58 Leeds Road between Bardsey and Collingham at just after 2pm on Tuesday. Police are investigating and have asked for witnesses. It’s not known if other vehicles were involved.

Mr Barral was a well known figure in financial services and had a long and distinguished career.

He worked at Aviva for over 15 years from 1999 to 2015. He also held several other senior roles at Aviva including - chief operating officer, marketing director and distribution director.

Aviva said in a statement today: "We are very sad to hear of the death of David Barral, a much valued former colleague and leader at Aviva. Our deepest condolences and prayers go to David's family at this time."

He also held directorships of many leading financial companies during his career and had been chair of several including Curtis Banks, Embark Group and Rowanmoor. He was a director of firms including LV=.

Most recently he had been working as a strategic adviser at Harwood Capital Management.

Many in the industry have been paying tribute to Mr Barral, who was born in East Kilbride in Scotland. Leading Financial Planner Robert Reid of Syndaxi said: "I’m saddened by the death of David Barral who I saw as both a friend and a client when was at Aviva. My condolences to his family. RIP David."

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