Claudio Gienal appointed as CEO of UK & Ireland

AXA names Claudio Gienal as new CEO of UK and Ireland

AXA has appointed Claudio Gienal as Chief Executive of AXA UK and Ireland.

9 July 2018

Posted in Innovation

Claudio Gienal will take up the role of UK and Ireland Chief Executive on 1 September
Gienal joined AXA Group in 2017 as Chief Strategic Development Officer for European Markets
Gienal has also previously served as CEO of Zurich Life Switzerland and Chief Operating Officer at Zurich UK

Gienal, who officially takes up his new role on 1 September, joins from AXA Group where he most recently served as Chief Strategic Development officer.

As part of the role, Gienal will be responsible for implementing AXA's Ambition 2020 Strategy, as well as leading the executive team and having oversight of all the UK and Ireland business units.

Gienal began his career at Accenture in 1998 before moving to McKinsey & Company in 2004. He has also held a number of senior roles at Zurich, including Chief Operating Officer for Zurich UK and CEO for Zurich Life Switzerland, after joining the insurer in 2008.

“Claudio is a leader who brings focus and collaboration, a strong and straight forward approach and an understanding of our UK business. I am confident he is the right person to take the UK and Ireland business forward, to deliver on our Ambition 2020 strategy, which remains unchanged, and to shape with the Executive team our strategic focus up to 2025 and beyond.”

Scott Wheway, Chairman, AXA UK

“I am delighted to take up the role of CEO of AXA UK and Ireland and I can’t wait to get started. The UK business has a strong track record on innovation and is working hard to embrace the future of an ever-changing insurance industry.

“The business also has a real focus on diversity and inclusion among its staff and wants to foster greater trust with its customers, two issues which are close to my heart. I am looking forward to working closely with the team and am excited about being part of its ongoing success.”

Claudio Gienal, CEO, AXA UK and Ireland

Gienal replaces outgoing UK and Ireland CEO Amanda Blanc. His appointment is subject to regulatory approval.

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Legal notes

About AXA UK

AXA Insurance UK plc registered in England and Wales under registered number 078950 and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority under Financial Conduct Authority registration number 202312. Registered office is 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG.

AXA UK is part of the AXA Group, a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 147,000 employees serving 94 million clients in 50 countries. In 2023, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 102.7 billion and underlying earnings to Euro 7.6 billion. AXA had Euro 844 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023.

In the UK & Ireland, AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Insurance, AXA Health and AXA Ireland. AXA UK & Ireland employs around 10,000 staff.

Important legal information and cautionary statements concerning forward-looking statements

Certain statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans, expectations or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause AXA’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward looking statements. Please refer to Part 5: “Risk Factors and Risk Management” of AXA’s Universal Registration Document 2022, for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect AXA’s business and / or results of operations. AXA undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws and regulations.