New female board director for multinational insurer

Aviva has appointed Ms Amanda Blanc as an independent non-executive director of the company with effect from 2 January 2020. Ms Blanc, an experienced insurance professional, was previously AXA UK and Ireland CEO as well as Zurich Insurance Group EMEA and global banking partnerships CEO. She was also the first woman to be appointed as chair of the Association of British Insurers in 2018.

Ms Blanc served as the chair of the Insurance Fraud Bureau and president of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Over the span of her career, she has held senior management positions at Towergate Insurance Brokers, Groupama Insurance Company and Commercial Union.

Commenting on the appointment, Aviva chairman Sir Adrian Montague said, “Ms Blanc’s breadth and depth of experience of the UK and European insurance industry and her detailed understanding of business and customers make her an excellent addition to our board.”

In her upcoming role, Ms Blanc will succeed Ms Claudia Arney as chair of the governance committee which is, however, subject to regulatory approval. She will also become a member of the nomination and risk committees upon appointment to the board.

Ms Arney served as an independent non-executive director for almost four years and is chair of the governance committee as well as a member of the nomination, remuneration and risk committees. She will be retiring with effect from 31 December 2019 along with independent non-executive director Glyn Barker.

Source: Asia Insurance Review