Aviva Ireland's chief executive Alison Burns has stepped down for family reasons and is returning to the UK, where she will have a group role.

Ms Burns will be replaced by Hugh Hessing, who most recently has led initiatives across Aviva to develop "simpler, quicker and more efficient ways to serve customers".

Mr Hessing will be Aviva’s third chief executive here in the past 18 months. She had taken on the role in July 2013, replacing Sean Egan who had earlier stepped down for health reasons.

Ms Burns had originally joined the Irish business in August 2012 as managing director of Aviva Health and she will remain as a board member of this business.

Aviva’s Irish arm has undergone a major restructuring in the past couple of years with its general insurance business now operating as a branch of the UK group and the life and pensions division soon to make the same transition.

Ms Burns said she was “sorry to be leaving” the Irish unit. “I am happy that the business is now in a strong position to move forward. Our recently published half-year results show good progress has been made across our three businesses,” she said, adding that it was well positioned to capitalise on the “opportunities for commercially sustainable growth in a rapidly recovering market”.

Mr Hessing Aviva in 2006 and was director of sales, services and claims in the UK and Ireland General Insurance business. He subsequently held the position of customer experience director in Aviva's UK life business.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Hessing said: “I am looking forward to working with the team in Aviva Ireland to build on the considerable progress made over the last year. We are well placed to take full advantage of the strong recovery now underway in the Irish economy.”

Aviva’s half-year results showed that, in general insurance, its operating profit was flat at £9 million. In life, Aviva’s operating profit reduced by 25 per cent year on year to £6 million, largely due to the disposal of Ark Life.

According to the results, it would take 11 years for the total capital invested in the Irish business to be repaid to shareholders. This compares with an average of seven years for the group as a whole.