Board of Directors

Mark was appointed to the Board as a 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. He is Non-Executive Chairman of London Square Ltd, Empiric Student Property Plc and Empiric Student Property Trustees Limited.

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.

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 (pending regulatory approval)
AXA Insurance dac (Ireland) (pending regulatory approval)

Mirjam was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Board in November 2022.

Mirjam is currently the Chief Sustainability Officer at AXA Group. Previously she was the Chief Strategic Development Officer for Europe & Latin America at AXA. Until January 2022, she was the CEO of AXA Luxembourg and CEO of AXA Wealth Europe. Prior to this, she served in various roles during 5 years as a board member of AXA Switzerland, the largest multi-line insurer in its market.

Over the past 20 years, Mirjam assumed different executive board functions in customer management, marketing, strategy and innovation, operations, HR and ESG. Her career has taken her to China, Latin America, Europe, the US and the UK. In her current role at AXA, Mirjam oversees the strategic development of Germany, Spain, Mexico, the UK and Ireland as well as AXA Life Europe. She is a member of the boards of AXA entities in Spain, Mexico and Germany.

Mirjam holds a masters from IMD Lausanne, and the University of Cologne, and degrees from Harvard University and HSG St. Gallen.

Rob was appointed to the Board as a 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.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

Audit Committee
Investment Committee (Chair)
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk Committee
AXA Insurance UK plc
AXA PPP healthcare limited

Debra was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in December 2018, and has held the role of Senior Independent Director since 1 July 2022.

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
Investment Committee
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Risk Committee
AXA Insurance UK plc
AXA PPP healthcare limited

Kari was appointed to the Board as a 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.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

Audit Committee (Chair)
Investment Committee
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk Committee
AXA Insurance UK plc
AXA PPP healthcare limited

Cheryl was appointed to the Board as a 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 currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Orbit Private Holdings Ltd, and a member of the Human Capital Committee, Hays Plc and Atom Bank, where she also serves as the Chair of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee.

Membership of AXA UK Committees and principal Operating Boards

Audit Committee
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee
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

Antimo was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Board in March 2018.

Antimo was the Chief Executive Officer for Europe & Latin America and a member of the AXA Group Management Committee. He served as the Chairman of AXA entities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland and of the AXA XL Group Audit Committee.

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.

Membership of AXA UK Committees

Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee

Raj was appointed to the Board as a 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 built a portfolio of non-executive roles where he has served as an independent Chair of Muscat Insurance Company and an independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of HSBC - Oman.

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
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk Committee (Chair)
AXA Insurance UK plc
AXA PPP healthcare limited

Meet the AXA UK and Ireland Board of Directors