Aviva appoints insurance veteran Amanda Blanc non-executive director

(Reuters) - Aviva Plc <AV.L> on Tuesday appointed Amanda Blanc, the first woman to be appointed as chair of the Association of British Insurers in 2018, as an independent non-executive director, with effect from Jan. 2.

Blanc, who was the former boss of AXA <AXAF.PA> UK & Ireland, will succeed Claudia Arney as chair of the governance committee and become a member of the nomination and risk committees, Aviva said.

Blanc has also worked as chief executive officer, EMEA & global banking partnerships at Zurich Insurance Group <ZURN.S> and held senior management positions at Towergate Insurance Brokers, Groupama Insurance Company and Commercial Union.

"Amanda'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," said Aviva Chairman Adrian Montague.

Aviva last month said it would reorganise into five divisions and sell its stake in its Hong Kong business, falling short of investor expectations for a broader change in strategy.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru, editing by Louise Heavens)