Meet the AXA UK and Ireland Board of Directors
The AXA UK and Ireland Board brings a wealth of experience in financial services and wider business disciplines.
Mark was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in December 2018, and has been Chairman since 1 July 2022.
Mark is a former retail banker, whose 18-year career in the UK and Europe gave him experience of financial controls, risk management and customer service. He has over 20 years’ experience as a FTSE main Board Director, with over 10 years’ experience as a Non-Executive Director, including seven years at Aviva UK, where he also chaired the Audit Committee.
He was previously Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Yorkshire Building Society and has held Non-Executive positions at Ladbrokes Coral Group Plc, Aviva Insurance Ltd, Punch Taverns Plc, Spirit Pub Company Plc, LSL Property Services Plc and Johnston Press Plc.
He joined Close Brothers in January 2021 and holds Senior Independent Director and Non-Executive Director roles at Close Brothers Group Plc and Close Brothers Limited and is a member of the Remuneration Committee, Nomination & Governance Committee and Risk Committee. He is Non-Executive Chairman of Empiric Student Property Plc.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Investment Committee
- Nomination Committee (Chair)
- Remuneration Committee
- Risk Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc (Chair)
- AXA PPP healthcare limited (Chair)
Tara was appointed as CEO of AXA UK and Ireland in September 2023.
Tara joined AXA in November 2020 as CEO of AXA UK and Ireland's Retail business. She has a wealth of experience in transformational growth and operational efficiency, as well as a deep understanding of customer needs.
Prior to AXA, Tara was at Lloyds Banking Group where she spent 12 years in a number of senior executive roles including Managing Director of Bank of Scotland, with responsibility for more than 2,000 employees and 200 branches.
Tara previously worked at Deutsche Bank and Accenture. Throughout her career, Tara has shown her commitment to fostering diverse and inclusive cultures and developing talent. This is further demonstrated by her appointment as AXA UK and Ireland's Diversity and Inclusion executive sponsor. In 2018 she was named as one of 100 ‘women to watch’ in Cranfield University’s FTSE Board Report.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Management Committee
- Investment Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare limited
- AXA Insurance dac (Ireland)
Rob was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in July 2019.
Rob is an insurance executive with over 25 years’ experience. A Dutch national, he held several CEO roles during his career with Achmea, a major Dutch insurer, covering multiple insurance categories including general insurance, pensions and occupational health. Prior to joining Achmea, Rob was a Partner at McKinsey in the Netherlands. He worked for McKinsey for 15 years, where he specialised in financial services and worked extensively with insurance clients in Amsterdam, London, Beijing and Singapore.
He was previously Chairman and a Non-Executive Director of the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk, Netherlands. He was also Chairman of the Audit Committee and Supervisory Board Member of the University of Amsterdam, and a member of the Board of Amnesty International Netherlands.
In 2021 Rob joined as a member of the International External Oversight Advisory Committee for the World Health Organisation. Since 2022 Rob has served as the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Dutch Chambers of Commerce and in May 2023 Rob was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of ABP, the Dutch Pension Fund. Rob was appointed to the Zuyderland Hospital Supervisory Board as a Supervisory Board member and advisor in January 2025. In April 2025, Rob was appointed as the Supervisory Board Chair of FMO the entrepreneurial development bank.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Investment Committee (Chair)
- Nomination Committee
- Remuneration Committee
- Risk Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare limited
Debra was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in December 2018, and has held the role of Senior Independent Director since 1 July 2022. Debra is the Consumer Duty Champion for AXA UK.
Debra was with American Express for 30 years, where she gained strong experience in customer relations, technology, marketing, and relationship management. She launched and developed business across EMEA, which included product innovation, digital innovation, and relations with regulators.
Previously, Debra held board positions at Credit Suisse International and Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited (where she served as the Chair of the Nominations and Advisory Remuneration Committee).
In April 2023 Debra was appointed as a board member of Intrum AB and is a member of the Transformation Committee. In August 2023 Debra was appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of Yorkshire Building Society.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Audit Committee
- Nomination Committee
- Remuneration Committee (Chair)
- Risk Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare limited
Kari was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in April 2021.
Kari is a highly experienced audit and risk professional. Most recently he was Senior Audit Partner at Deloitte, specialising in FTSE 100 engagements, with broad sector experience and was a member of the firm’s UK financial services industry board. During his audit career, he led some of the firm’s highest profile, most complex and politically sensitive audits.
Between 2004 and early 2007, Kari was Director of Finance Strategy & Risk at the (then) Financial Services Authority and chaired the Audit Quality Forum’s working group examining the purpose of audit.
In June 2023 Kari was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Close Brothers Group plc and Close Brothers Limited, where he is also Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Risk Committee.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Audit Committee (Chair)
- Risk Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare limited
Nicolas was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Board in January 2024.
He is currently the Chief Financial and Strategy Officer for AXA’s European Markets and Global Health team.
Nicolas has been working with AXA for 20 years and has held various senior finance roles both in operating entities (including as CFO of AXA Spain) and at Group level (including as Head of Group M&A, Capital Management and Treasury). Over these years, he has assumed different board functions and he is currently a member of the Boards of AXA entities in Spain and Belgium.
Cheryl was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in April 2021.
Cheryl is an experienced Chief Digital and Chief Information Officer who also brings considerable general management experience. A strategic technology leader, she brings deep experience of both B2B and B2C data intensive businesses which are underpinned by technology. After an early career in the energy and financial services sectors at National Power, Innogy and HBOS, Cheryl focused on the technology agenda as Chief Information Officer of Asda Stores, Chief Digital Officer of Waitrose and Chief Digital Officer of Travis Perkins.
Cheryl has built a portfolio of non-executive roles and she currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Orbit Private Holdings Ltd, where she is a member of the Human Capital Committee and Atom Bank, where she also serves as the Chair of the Remuneration Committee. Since June 2019 she has been a Non-Executive Director of Hays Plc and in February 2024 she has been appointed as a Senior Independent Director.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Risk Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare limited
Roland oversees all financial matters within the business. He brings a wealth of international experience drawn from roles within AXA in Asia and continental Europe.
A French national, he was a senior civil servant prior to joining the insurance industry, working on European affairs and financial regulation within the French Treasury.
He moved to AXA’s group corporate finance department in 2005, holding roles in France and Italy before spending three years in China as Chief Financial Officer for AXA Tian Ping. On his return to Europe, he was Chief Financial Officer for AXA in Italy for four years before moving to the UK to take up his present position in 2020.
Roland has a master’s degree in applied mathematics. He speaks Mandarin and Russian as well as French, Italian and English.
He is also a member of the combined board for AXA Insurance and AXA Health.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Management Committee
- Investment Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare limited
Raj was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in May 2023.
Raj has worked in the US and Europe in a range of second line risk and first line roles and brings an international perspective and diversity of thought. His career has spanned Chief Risk Officer and Executive Committee roles at Allianz, Swiss Re, Standard Life Aberdeen, EFG Bank and Citibank subsidiary banks in Germany and Belgium. He was an early pioneer with regard to the sustainability agenda and ethical underwriting.
Raj has previously served as Independent Non-Executive Chair of Muscat Insurance Company; an independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of HSBC – Oman; and the Co-operative Bank plc (where he chaired the Risk Committee).
Raj currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Vanguard Group (Ireland) Limited, the Co-operative Bank plc (where he chairs the Risk Committee) and AIB Group plc.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Audit Committee
- Investment Committee
- Risk Committee (Chair)
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare limited
Sir David was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director in September 2024.
Sir David has had a long career in healthcare management, predominantly in the NHS. He has held various CEO roles at several NHS trusts, including the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, the Whittington Hospital NHS Trust and NHS Haringey Trust. Between December 2021 and August 2023, he was the CEO of NHS England, where he was responsible for overseeing all NHS operational delivery, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sir David is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and a Trustee of the Royal College of Radiologists. In March 2025, David Sloman was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Spire Healthcare Group Plc.
Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards
- Risk Committee
- AXA Insurance UK plc
- AXA PPP healthcare Limited