LONDON (Reuters) - Insurer Aviva has begun the search for a new chairman to replace Colin Sharman, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Sharman, 67, has chaired Aviva since January 2006, and his term expires in 2013.
Oriel Securities analyst Barnard Marcus said the search for a replacement was "sensible succession planning" as it could take up to a year to find a successor.
Aviva declined to comment.
Aviva, Britain's second-biggest insurer by market value, last month rejected a surprise 5 billion pounds offer proposal from rival RSA (RSA Insurance Group PLC ORD 27) to buy its general insurance operations.
The insurer has appointed headhunters MWM Consulting and JCA Associates to find a new chairman, the Times newspaper reported.
Potential candidates include John Varley, who will step down from his role as Barclays (Barclays PLC) chief executive next year, and Paul Myners, the former financial services minister, the paper said.
The Times cited people close to the situation as saying Sharman was not under pressure to step down.
(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris and Myles Neligan; Editing by Mike Nesbit)