Board of directors

The AXA UK Board brings a wealth of experience in financial services and wider business disciplines.

Scott Wheway – Chairman

Born 1966, he was appointed as Chairman of the Board in December 2017.

Scott has almost 30 years’ UK and international retail experience and over 10 years’ experience as a Non-Executive Director within the financial services industry. He serves as the Senior Independent Director of Santander UK plc and Non-Executive Director of Santander UK Group Holdings plc and is a Non-Executive Director of Centrica plc.

Previously, Scott has held senior roles at Tesco plc, including Chief Executive of Tesco in Japan, and senior roles at The Boots Company plc and Alliance Boots plc. He was also Chief Executive Officer of Best Buy Europe until 2011. Scott served as Non-Executive Director of Aviva plc from 2007 until December 2016 and as Chairman of Aviva Insurance Limited until September 2017.

Membership of AXA UK Committees

• Remuneration and Nomination Committee (Chairman)
• Investment Committee (Chairman)

Claudio Gienal - Chief Executive Officer

Born 1974, he was appointed to the Board in July 2017 and as Chief Executive Officer in September 2018.

Claudio Gienal is currently Chief Executive of AXA UK and Ireland. He joined the company in July 2017 and was previously Chief Strategy Development Officer, European Markets and served as member of the European Management Committee.

Prior to joining AXA, Claudio spent ten years at Zurich where he held a number of senior positions including Chief Strategy Officer for the Zurich Group, CEO of the Zurich Life Insurance Company and Chief Operating Officer of Zurich Insurance UK.

He is currently a board member for AXA Konzern in Germany and Switzerland-based insurance start-up JAROWA. Claudio previously served on the board of Farmers New World Life in the US and is a council member of the British Swiss Chamber of Commerce.

Claudio began his career as a management consultant working for McKinsey & Company and Accenture. He has a Masters in Environmental Engineering from ETZH Swiss Federal Institute.

Amélie Breitburd - Executive Director

Born 1969, she was appointed to the Board and as Group Chief Financial Officer in January 2019.

Amelie Breitburd has been at AXA since 2004, joining from KPMG where she was a Senior Audit Manager. Within AXA, Amelie has worked in several Head of PBRC roles at AXA Group (PBRC functions of Budget, Results, Control and Actuarial Affairs). Most recently she was the CFO for AXA Asia, dealing with a complex regional business and growing, restructuring and establishing the strong foundations of the finance function.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

• Investment Committee
• Management Committee
• AXA Insurance UK plc
• AXA PPP healthcare limited

Debra Davies - Non-Executive Director

Born 1963, she was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in December 2018.

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.

She is a Non-Executive Director of Utilitywise PLC, an AIM-listed utility cost management firm, and has also retained two Non-Executive Chair roles in relation to American Express joint ventures in the Middle East. Her experience at American Express provided a strong grounding in governance, regulation and compliance in a complex matrix and US-parented organisation.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

• AXA Insurance UK plc
• AXA PPP healthcare limited

Tracy Garrad - Executive Director

Born 1970, she was appointed to the Board in February 2019.

Tracy was appointed Chief Executive, AXA PPP healthcare in January 2019. Prior to this she was Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man, responsible for all HSBC retail and commercial operations, private banking and trust banking in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Tracy held various roles with HSBC since 2012, including as CEO of First Direct (between 2013 and 2017). During her tenure as CEO First Direct, she invested heavily in the customer experience, updating legacy systems, integrating First Direct within the overall HSBC banking business, building the leadership team, which resulted in a number one position for CRI amongst banks in the UK and a highly profitable business.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

• Management Committee
• AXA PPP healthcare limited

Peter Hazell - Non-Executive Director

Born 1948, he was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in May 2013.

Peter’s background as UK Managing Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers together with roles in its predecessor firms and, more recently as a Non-Executive Director, has led to a wide knowledge of regulated businesses, competition policy, investment appraisal, M&A and strategic planning.

Peter has held several non-executive roles including Chairman of Argent (a property developer), Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committees of Brit Insurance Holdings BV, Smith & Williamson Holdings Ltd, the National Environment Research Council (NERC) and UK Coal plc. He was appointed as Non-Executive Director of Canopius Managing Agents Limited in November 2014. Peter is also a Member of Court at University of Greenwich and was a member of the Competition Commission.  He has particular knowledge and experience of both insurance and asset management, with a financial background.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

• Audit Committee (Chairman)
• Investment Committee
• Remuneration and Nomination Committee
• AXA Insurance UK plc
• AXA PPP healthcare limited (Chairman)
• AXA Insurance dac (Ireland)
• Architas Multi-Manager Limited

Michael Jackson - Non-Executive Director

Born 1962, he was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in June 2016.

Michael Jackson was previously the General Partner at Mangrove Capital Partners until August 2018 and Chief Operating Officer of Skype from 2004 to 2007 with responsibility for operations and revenue generation. Prior to joining Skype, Michael worked for Tele2, the leading alternative telecommunication carrier in Europe.

Michael currently serves as a Member of the Supervisory Board at Luminor Bank AB and as a member of its risk and audit committees. He was appointed to the board of KNEIP Communication SA in August 2017 and as a Director and member of the audit committee of Volvo Cars AB in August 2018.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Company Boards

• Audit Committee
• AXA Insurance UK plc
• AXA PPP healthcare limited

Mark Pain - Non-Executive Director

Born 1961, he was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in December 2018.

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 sales. 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, where he also chaired the Audit Committee.

He is Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Yorkshire Building Society and Non-Executive Chairman of London Square Ltd. He has previously 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.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

• Audit Committee
• Investment Committee
• AXA Insurance UK plc
• AXA PPP healthcare limited

Antimo Perretta - Non-Executive Director

Born 1962, he was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Board in March 2018.

Antimo is Chief Executive Officer Europe, AXA Group and a member of the AXA Group Management Committee, with oversight of the AXA UK P&C business. He serves as the Chairman of AXA entities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Previously, Antimo was Head of Corporate Clients at Swiss Life and a member of the Executive Board. In 2007, he joined AXA Switzerland as Head of Group Life and later Head of Distribution. Antimo was appointed Chief Executive Officer of AXA Switzerland in 2014 until 2017. He was previously Vice President of the Swiss Insurance Association.

Antimo is a certified insurance specialist, pensions expert and has an Executive MBA from the University of Zurich.

Howard Posner - Non-Executive Director

Born 1956, he was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in July 2015.

Howard’s extensive career in the financial services industry began in 1979. He has held several senior positions within NRG Group and most recently with HBOS plc, where he was Chief Executive and Managing Director responsible for the non-life insurance strategy and creation of the HBOS General Insurance Division.

In 2005, Howard became an independent consultant with particular focus on strategic and process orientated projects within the insurance and reinsurance sectors. He co-founded General Insurance Distribution Limited in 2010, a specialist distributor of niche financial and insurance products, of which he remains the Chairman.

Howard has held several non-executive roles including Non-Executive Director of QBE European Operations, UK General Insurance Group and Giles Insurance Brokers Limited. He has extensive knowledge and experience in business strategy, corporate finance, corporate governance and audit and regulatory matters.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Company Boards

• Audit Committee
• AXA Insurance UK plc
• AXA Insurance dac (Ireland)
• AXA PPP healthcare limited