Royal London, the UK’s largest mutual life and pensions company, has announced that Duncan Ferguson has joined its Board as a non-executive director.

Tom Ross, currently senior independent director and chairman of the Board Risk Committee, will be retiring from the Board at Royal London’s Annual General Meeting on 20 May.

At 67 Ferguson has 40 years’ experience in senior management of insurance companies and as a consulting actuary. He was senior partner of Bacon & Woodrow, subsequently B&W Deloitte, from 1994 to 2003. Duncan was also a non-executive director of Halifax from 1994 until it merged with Bank of Scotland in 2001, and he continued as a non-executive director of HBOS Financial Services until 2007.

He is currently a non-executive director of Henderson Group plc and of Windsor Life, and is chairman of the Phoenix and Pearl With Profits Committees. He is a past president of the Institute of Actuaries.

Ferguson said: “I am very pleased indeed to be joining Royal London at a time of significant changes in the life and pensions market. I believe the company is very well placed to take advantage of the opportunities that these changes will inevitably bring. I look forward to playing a full part in the Board’s activities and in helping sustain the Group’s successful development.”””