Aviva has appointed Mary Francis as a non-executive to its board.

Francis recently resigned as director general of the ABI to return to a career in politics.

Prior to joining the ABI in 1999 Francis was a senior treasury civil servant and held appointments as private secretary to the Prime Minister and deputy private secretary to the Queen.

She is currently a non-executive director of the Bank of England and of Centrica.

She will join the board of Aviva on 1 October 2005.