AXA Group Chief Financial Officer Stepping Down – Successor Chosen

AXA will have a new group chief financial officer in the New Year.

CFO Gérald Harlin, who also serves as group deputy chief executive, is retiring at the end of 2019. The management committee member came onboard AXA in 1990 as corporate treasurer.

“I would like to warmly thank Gérald for his very significant contributions to AXA’s success and development over the past three decades,” stated group CEO Thomas Buberl. “During his tenure, Gérald has held major financial and operational positions ranging from treasury to asset management, within AXA France as well as the Corporate Centre.

“He has played a key role in establishing AXA as one of the world’s leading insurers. In his latest position as group deputy CEO and CFO, he has been instrumental in developing AXA’s transformational strategy and its operational implementation during the past three years.”

Succeeding Harlin is AXA Hong Kong chief executive Etienne Bouas-Laurent, who will become deputy CFO and a member of the management committee on September 01 before taking over as group chief financial officer on January 01, 2020. Bouas-Laurent has been with AXA since 1997.

Also joining the management committee in September are chief human resources officer Karima Silvent and incoming chief strategy and business development officer Georges Desvaux. The latter will bring more than three decades of experience from McKinsey & Company to AXA, while Silvent – who became part of the group in 2012 via GIE AXA – has held her current position since December 2017.    

Existing management committee member Alban de Mailly Nesle, meanwhile, will have a wider remit in his new capacity as chief risk and investment officer. The company stalwart, who moved from BNP Paribas to AXA in 2000, currently functions as chief risk officer and head of insurance office.

“I wish Etienne, Alban, Georges, and Karima all the best in their new roles to accelerate the implementation of our Ambition 2020, as well as the preparation of our next strategic plan,” added Buberl, who said it has been a privilege working with Harlin given his experience, professionalism, and unfailing commitment to AXA’s success.