LONDON, July 6 — British insurer Aviva today appointed Amanda Blanc as chief executive, replacing with immediate effect Maurice Tulloch who has stepped down for "family health reasons”.

Blanc steps up from her role as independent non-executive director at Aviva, while company veteran Tulloch leaves after around 16 months in the top role.

"We will look at all our strategic opportunities, and at pace,” Blanc said in a statement.

Her appointment brings to six the number of FTSE 100-listed firms with a woman as CEO.

The news comes as British bank Lloyds said its CEO Antonio Horta-Osorio will step down next year after a decade at the helm. — AFP