Tidjane Thiam former Ivorian minister was today named as the next chief executive of one of Britain’s largest Insurance companies, Prudential. His appointment marks the first time a company listed on the UK’s FTSE-100 has appointed a black chief executive.

Mr Thiam will succeed Mark Tucker as CEO when the latter steps down from the position in six months time. The appointment will cap Thiam’s meteoric career from consultant at renowned management consultancy McKinsey, cabinet minister in the government of the Ivory Coast through to top management at insurance giant Aviva.

At Aviva he held the position initially of Director of Strategy and later Chief Executive Aviva Europe and it was from here that Thiam left to join Prudential as Group finance Director.

Tidjane Thiam, 44 was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He left when he was four after he father was appointed as diplomat based in Morocco. Largely educated in Paris, Thaim attended the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mine and INSEAD business school all in Paris.