A NEW boss has taken over at Aviva with immediate effect.

Amanda Blanc has been appointed as chief executive officer of Aviva plc, becoming only the sixth female FTSE-100 boss.

She is taking over the role from Maurice Tulloch who has stepped down for family health reasons and retired from his position on the Aviva plc Board.

Amanda 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.”

Amanda is currently an independent non-executive director at Aviva plc and chairs the Customer, Conduct and Reputation Board Committee.

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

Maurice Tulloch joined Aviva in 1992 and has held a number of senior positions with the company. He was appointed as chief executive in March 2019.

George Culmer, Aviva chairman, 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.”

In addition to her previous roles at AXA and Zurich, Amanda 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, Amanda 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.

Maurice Tulloch has been placed on garden leave until the end of his six-month notice period on January 5, 2021. During this period, he will be available to assist the Company and his successor with the transition.