Standard Life is losing the chief financial officer of its financial services business after Evelyn Bourke decided to follow her former boss Trevor Matthews to rival insurer Friends Provident.

Irish-born Bourke is to work out her six-month notice period at the finance department of the Edinburgh company but has been relieved of the top job.

John Gill has stepped up as interim chief financial officer of Standard Life UK Financial Services, where he is currently head of customer service.

He has previously been finance director at Standard Life Bank and at the life and pensions businesses which were merged, together with its healthcare business, to form UK Financial Services in 2007.

Standard Life has started looking for a permanent replacement for Bourke, who joined the company from Chase de Vere Financial Services in 2005, initially as director of group strategy and planning before moving across to Standard Life UK Financial Services.

Bourke will join Friends Provident in six months after completing her notice period. Until then Charles Bellringer will remain interim chief financial officer of Friends Provident.

Matthews, formerly chief executive of Standard Life UK Financial Services and tipped as a successor to group chief Sandy Crombie, was hired by Friends Provident in January this year, eventually joining the company in the summer.