Zurich has appointed David White as head of retail, UK Life with effect from 21 January 2013.

He joins from Fidelity Worldwide Investment where he was previously head of FundsNetwork.

He will report to Gary Shaughnessy who, in addition to his role as CEO Zurich UK Life, has been interim head of retail since joining the company in June last year.

Shaughnessy said: “I am delighted that David is joining Zurich. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the retail market and is well placed to lead the Retail business at a time of enormous change for the insurance industry.”

White is responsible for all aspects of Zurich’s UK retail business, including strategy, sales, marketing, and adviser relations.

He said: “Zurich is absolutely committed to supporting the UK Advisory market and I am determined to ensure that we continue to develop our products and services to meet their needs.

“It’s a challenging time right now, with economic uncertainty and unprecedented regulatory change. However, despite these uncertainties, Zurich UK Life is well placed to provide strength and support to all of our customers – helping them to succeed in this new, post RDR world.”