Fortis signs up McIntyre to board

Former RSA chief executive Bridget McIntyre is set to join Fortis Group as a non-executive director. She has a three-year contract to advise the group’s board on general insurance.

At the end of last year, McIntyre spent a stint as a consultant to Patrick Snowball at Australian firm Suncorp. She had worked with him at Aviva as sales, marketing and underwriting director.

Fortis chairman Jozef De Mey said McIntyre’s appointment, along with that of Belén Romana, were the final touches to a board that had been overhauled in the wake of the financial crisis.

Fortis has sold of most of its banking and investment arms to pay for government state aid, leaving the insurance business as the core operation.

De Mey said: “When we established the new board, we stressed that we would look for ways to further strengthen it based on bringing in additional skills and capabilities.

“These proposed appointments help us to fulfill that objective, providing a new dimension to the board and a depth of experience and talent that will be of significant benefit to Fortis in the future.

“Both candidates come to the table with exceptional foreign expertise and strong operational track records in finance and insurance,” he said.

“Their appointments, if approved by shareholders, will create a well-rounded board, which is essential for the further development of our company.”

The appointment is set to be approved at a meeting next month.