PRETTEJOHN QUITS PRU

Nick Prettejohn, who joined three years ago, was pipped to the post by Tidjane Thiam in the race to replace Mark Tucker.

He will leave in September amid talk he could emerge as chief executive of Standard Life when Sir Sandy Crombie steps down.

But Prudential said he would be paid for nine months after he leaves, which analysts said ruled out an imminent move to Standard Life.

A former head of the Lloyds of London insurance market, Prettejohn joined Prudential in 2006 to oversee a review of its UK operations.

Although he was seen as a hot contender for Tucker’s position, in March it said Thiam, the group’s financial controller and a former European head of Aviva, would take the top job from October.

Prettejohn’s replacement is Rob Devey who joins from Lloyds Banking Group where he has been since 2002, holding senior roles at HBOS.