AXA Health has announced the appointment of a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Heather Smith, who graduated with a BA in Business Economics from the then Paisley College (now UWS Paisley Campus), will be joining AXA Health from Allianz where she is currently MD for Retail and responsible for providing personal lines insurance for 3.7 million customers across all major distribution channels.

Heather has a diverse and extensive CV with significant experience of the insurance and health markets and will take on the role in mid-January 2024.

Commenting on her appointment Heather said: “I’m really excited to have been given the opportunity to take up the role of CEO of AXA Health and continue the excellent work being delivered by such a forward-thinking business. I hope to be able to build on these successes and work with the team to continue to grow the business together.”

Previously, Heather spent 10 years at Aviva across both Life and General Insurance sectors in roles that moved from marketing and sales into profit & loss ownership of the Direct Insurance business line. Prior to this, she spent 13 years at Aviva Health in a number of roles that included responsibility for affinity partnerships, marketing (brand and product) and sales.

Tara Foley, CEO, AXA UK & Ireland, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Heather as the new CEO for AXA Health and look forward to her joining us next year.

“Heather is a strong and authentic leader who has a wealth of experience developing high performing teams and delivering the best outcomes for customers in both health and insurance businesses. I’m confident that she is an excellent fit for AXA and is the right person to lead Health through the important next stage of strategy delivery.”