Aviva announces today that Mary Francis (56) is to be appointed to the Board of Aviva plc as an independent non-executive director. She is currently a non-executive director of the Bank of England and of Centrica plc, and was formerly Director General of the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Before joining the ABI in 1999 Mary was a senior Treasury civil servant and held appointments as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and Deputy Private Secretary to the Queen.
Aviva announces today that Mary Francis (56) is to be appointed to the board of Aviva plc as an independent non-executive director. She is currently a non-executive director of the Bank of England and of Centrica plc, and was formerly director general of the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Before joining the ABI in 1999 Mary was a senior Treasury civil servant and held appointments as private secretary to the Prime Minister and deputy private secretary to the Queen.
She will join the board of Aviva on 1 October 2005.
Pehr Gyllenhammar, Aviva’s chairman, said: "Mary has a most distinguished record. She has extensive experience of both government affairs and business on an international level, having held a number of senior appointments at HM Treasury and more recently, as director general of the ABI. We shall benefit greatly from her knowledge and I am delighted to welcome her to our board."
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Enquiries
Media:
Hayley Stimpson, director of external affairs +44 (0)20 7662 7544
Sue Winston, head of group media relations +44 (0)20 7662 8221
Analysts:
Nicole Marques, investor relations executive +44 (0)20 7662 8302
Notes to editors:
- Born in 1948, Mary Francis was educated at James Allen’s Girls School in Dulwich, London and at Newnham College, Cambridge. Having joined the Civil Service, Mary spent much of her career there in HM Treasury, focusing on European and financial services policy.
- Mary was appointed financial counsellor at the British Embassy in Washington DC (1990-1992): private secretary to the Prime Minister with responsibility for domestic and economic affairs (1992-1995): and deputy private secretary to the Queen (1995-1999). Mary held the post of director general of the Association of British Insurers from 1999 to 2005.
- Mary is a non-executive director of the Bank of England, a non-executive director of Centrica plc, a member of the Press Complaints Commission, a member of the Advisory Board of the National Consumer Council and a trustee of the Almeida Theatre in London
- A photograph of Mary Francis is available from the Aviva media centre at /index.asp?PageID=60&ImageID=462
- Aviva is the world’s fifth-largest insurance group based on gross world-wide premiums and one of the leading providers of life and pensions to Europe with substantial positions in other markets around the world.
- Aviva’s principal business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with world-wide premium income and retail investment sales from continuing operations of Ł33 billion and assets under management of Ł273 billion.