Aviva has announced the appointment of Alison Burns as chief executive of Aviva Ireland.

Ms Burns, who replaces Seán Egan who stepped down earlier this year for health reasons, has been interim managing director of Aviva Ireland Health Insurance since last August.

In a statement this evening, the company said Ms Burns has “extensive experience”, having led the company during a time of “unprecedented challenge in the Irish health insurance market”.

“She has focused the business on the customer, providing innovative, market leading solutions to the central issue of affordability, while creating a secure foundation for the business in a challenging and uncertain market,” it read.

Ms Burns previously worked in the UK with Santander, Lloyds Bank, Bupa and Axa in the fields of life, health and general insurance.

She has appointed John Quinlan as managing director of Aviva's general insurance business in Ireland. He joins Aviva from RSE, where he was sales and marketing director.

Commenting on her new role, Ms Burns said the company was a “fitter, leaner business” thanks to the difficult decisions taken over the last two years.

“We still have some distance to travel but I firmly believe we are well positioned to return to growth in Ireland by offering innovative, competitively priced products that are tailored to meet the needs of our customers.”