ECB's counsellor to the president crosses lines to Axa

Christian Thimann, currently counsellor to the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), is to join the multinational insurer and asset manager Axa Group at the turn of the year.

Thimann joins Axa as head of strategy and public affairs, sitting on the group's 18-member executive committee.

A German citizen, Thimann began his career at strategy consulting firm Roland Berger in 1990. In 1995 he joined the International Monetary Fund, taking on various responsibilities within the Asian and the European departments. He joined the ECB in 1998, the year it was established, and worked in a range of positions, including as adviser to former president Jean-Claude Trichet from 2008–11.

Since November 2011, he has been counsellor to the president of the ECB and coordinator of the counsel to the ECB's executive board.

In a statement, Mario Draghi, the president of the ECB, thanked Thimann for his "outstanding" contribution to the central bank. "Throughout several years he advised the president and the executive board with high professional competence and integrity. We wish him all the best in his future challenges," Draghi said.

Henri de Castries, chairman and chief executive of Axa, said: "As a highly recognised and respected manager and adviser, Christian will enrich our senior management team and help strategically steer the group towards the next phase of its development."

Thimann will begin his new role on January 1, 2014. A spokesman for the ECB declined to comment on who would succeed him.