Aviva France, a major player in life assurance and long-term savings, asset management and non-life insurance, has announced the appointment of Ugo Ruffolo to its board of directors. This appointment comes further to the death of Michel Laparra last December.
Aviva France, a major player in life assurance and long-term savings, asset management and non-life insurance, has announced the appointment of Ugo Ruffolo to its board of directors. This appointment comes further to the death of Michel Laparra last December.
Born in Treviso, in Italy, Ugo Ruffolo, who is 60 years old, holds a degree from the University of Rome. He launched his career in 1977 with the Italian banking group IMI, where he joined the Research department, later moving to the Finance department. In 1988, he went across to Fideuram (IMI Group) as deputy director general.
In autumn 1991 he was appointed co-director general of Fideuram bank, which was created in the merger between Fideuram and Manusardi Bank. He became its director general in 1994, then chief executive officer in 1997, a post he held until September 2004, when he left Fideuram for the company Alleanza Assicurazioni (Generali Group) as its chief executive officer. He held the post until May 2008.
Ugo Ruffolo has also sat on the board of the main subsidiaries of the IMI Group, Fideuram and Alleanza. Additionally, he was a member of the board of directors of the Italian association of financial companies using general agents (Assoreti) and of the executive committee of the Italian banking association (ABI).
Commenting on this appointment, Jean-Pierre Menanteau, the chief executive officer of Aviva France, said: "I am delighted to welcome Ugo Ruffolo on behalf of the executive committee and of all Aviva France personnel.
"He is a well-known European insurance professional, who has held positions of responsibility for over 20 years within various European-dimension financial companies."
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Press contacts:
Isabelle Noir
Telephone: 01 76 62 70 21
E-mail: isabelle_noir@aviva.fr
Laurent Gibert
Telephone: 01 76 62 70 88
E-mail: laurent_gibert@aviva.fr
Notes to editors:
About Aviva
With more than 300 years of experience, Aviva is a major European insurer of global dimension: it is the leading provider of life assurance and pensions in Europe and holds strong positions on other markets around the world, particularly in North America and Asia. Based on gross premiums at 31 December 2007, Aviva was the world's fifth-largest insurance company. Aviva's three principal businesses are life assurance and long-term savings, asset management and non-life insurance, with a total turnover of €64.3 billion in 2008 and €393 billion in assets under management at 31 December 2008.
With more than 180 years of experience in France, Aviva is one of the top 10 players in the insurance market. Aviva France stands out from the crowd with its solid, balanced and profitable multi-distribution model, based on a comprehensive range of products aimed primarily at individuals and small and medium-sized businesses: nearly 900 general agents, 1800 branch staff, 400 life advisers, nearly 900 asset management advisers (Union Financière de France) and more than 1,000 active partner brokers at the service of 3 million clients every day. Aviva has developed a special ability to build effective partnerships for the benefit of its clients, notably with AFER, the largest savings Association in France, and the Crédit du Nord, Société Générale, Ford and Médéric groups. Specialising in unit-linked products, Aviva is recognised for the excellent performance of its long-term funds, the quality and innovative nature of its products and its solid commitment to its clients through its "Good Advice" approach.
Aviva France is a socially responsible company, having, amongst other things, reduced and offset its CO2 emissions, assisted more than 250 projects to benefit children and the elderly through its Foundation and has set in place an acclaimed diversity policy.
The Aviva group employs more than 4,700 staff in France. At 31 December 2008, Aviva France reported consolidated sales of €6.0 billion and an IFRS net profit of €130 million. The company managed €69.6 billion of assets at 31 December 2008.