French-headquartered insurer AXA UK and Ireland, which employs around 10,000 staff across its UK and Irish operations, has appointed Caroline Riddy as general counsel with effect from 7 April 2026, filling a senior governance role that had been vacant since December 2025.

The Global Legal Post reported that Riddy succeeds Emily Coupland, who left AXA after 24 years working across the group's various UK entities, and returns to the firm having previously spent 12 years with AXA UK and Ireland in various company secretary and counsel roles between 2012 and 2024.

Riddy brings more than two decades of legal and company secretariat experience within financial services. Most recently, she served at Lloyds Banking Group as company secretary for the insurance, pensions, and investments division, overseeing governance for more than 70 legal entities.

Earlier in her career, Riddy was a senior associate in the corporate insurance team at Norton Rose Fulbright.

Henri de la Serve, chief financial officer at AXA UK and Ireland, said he was very pleased to welcome Caroline back to AXA UK and Ireland.

The appointment consolidates governance leadership within AXA UK and Ireland at a time when regulatory complexity across financial services continues to intensify, with insurers facing heightened scrutiny on legal entity governance, conduct, and compliance frameworks.

AXA UK and Ireland operates through a number of business units including AXA Insurance, AXA Health, and AXA Ireland, and forms part of the broader AXA Group, one of the world's largest insurance and asset management organisations.

The general counsel role spans legal, governance, and regulatory oversight across the combined UK and Irish business.

Read the full report on Caroline Riddy's appointment at AXA UK and Ireland.