Mr White was previously head of FundsNetwork and worked at Fidelity since 2002. He has previously worked at Aberdeen Asset Management and Schroders.
He will report to Gary Shaughnessy, chief executive of Zurich UK Life, who also worked at Fidelity as UK managing director for three years before joining Zurich in June 2012. Mr Shaughnessy has been working as an interim head of retail prior to Mr White's appointment.
Mr White will join the firm on 21 January and be responsible for strategy, sales, marketing and adviser relations.
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He said: "I'm delighted to be joining Zurich. Zurich is absolutely committed to supporting the UK advisory market and I am determined to ensure that we continue to develop our products and services to meet their needs.
"It's a challenging time right now with economic uncertainty and unprecedented regulatory change. However, despite these uncertainties, Zurich UK Life is well placed to provide strength and support to all of our customers- helping them succeed in this new post-RDR world."
Mr Shaughnessy said: "I am delighted that David is joining Zurich. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the retail market and is well placed to lead the retail business at a time of enormous change in the industry."

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