Aviva Investors has appointed Pat O'Brien as chief executive officer of its North American business.

O'Brien served as head of international for Wachovia Global Asset Management between 2008 and 2009. Prior to that, he was president for institutional asset management at Evergreen Investment Management.

His new position at Aviva places him in Chicago, where he will be responsible for the company's operations in the US and Canada. He reports to Alain Dromer, chief executive, and also joins the Aviva Investors Global Executive Committee. In a statement, Dromer notes that O'Brien will also hold the additional duty as the primary local contact between the company and its colleagues from Aviva life and general insurance business in North America, a key market for the firm.

Aviva Investors is the global asset management unit of Aviva PLC. It manages over $370 billion worldwide.