Global insurer and leading life and pensions provider, Aviva plc has announced the appointment of Amanda Blanc as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Blanc replaces Maurice Tulloch as he steps down from the role and his position on the firm’s Board for family health reasons.

Blanc currently serves as an independent non-executive director at Aviva plc having joined the board in January 2020 and chairs the Customer, Conduct and Reputations Board Committee.

She previously served as CEO, EMEA & Global banking Partnerships at Zurich Insurance Group and before that she was Group CEO, AXA UK, PPP and Ireland and has served as chair of the Association of British Insurers and president of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Tulloch joined Aviva in 1992 and held a number of senior positions in the business during his time with the Company. He joined the Aviva plc Board in 2017 and was appointed CEO in March 2019.

Following her appointment, Blanc will step down from all her current Non-Executive commitments.

George Culmer, chairman of Aviva, said: “I would like to thank Maurice for his valuable contribution over many years with Aviva. The Board and I were saddened to hear of the personal reasons behind his desire to step down and we wish him and his family the very best for the future.

“We are delighted that Amanda will be our new CEO. The Board was unanimous in endorsing her appointment. I know she will bring real dynamism to Aviva and re-establish our credentials as a high-performing, innovative and customer-centric business.”

Blanc, CEO said: “Aviva is a great company, full of great people, and I’m honoured to be given the opportunity to help shape its future. I want Aviva to be the leader in our industry again and the first choice for our customers and partners. My focus will be on achieving that for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.

“We will look at all our strategic opportunities, and at pace. I have been on the Aviva Board since the start of this year and have a good understanding of where the business has its strengths and what actions we should take across our portfolio.”