Aviva appoints Amanda Blanc new CEO as Tulloch steps down

UK insurer Aviva has appointed Amanda Blanc as new chief executive officer (CEO) with immediate effect. She replaces Maurice Tulloch who has stepped down from the role and retired from his position on the Aviva board due to family health reasons.

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 board in 2017 and was appointed as chief executive in March 2019.

Blanc is currently an independent non-executive director at Aviva. She was appointed to the Aviva board in January 2020 and chairs the customer, conduct and reputation board committee. She was previously CEO, EMEA & global banking partnerships at Zurich Insurance Group. Prior to that, she was group CEO, AXA UK, PPP and Ireland and has served as chair of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and president of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

In addition to her previous roles at AXA and Zurich, Blanc has held senior positions at Towergate Insurance Brokers and Groupama Insurance Company. She started her career with Commercial Union, which subsequently became part of Aviva.

Following her appointment, Blanc will step down from all of her current non-executive commitments. She will continue in her voluntary role as chair of the Welsh Professional Rugby Board.

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 commented: “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.”