Feb 28 (Reuters) - British insurer Aviva Plc has hired private equity firm Blackstone's Tom Stoddard as chief financial officer, the company said on Friday.<br /><br />Stoddard, currently senior managing director, head of global financial institutions advisory at Blackstone, replaces Pat Regan, whose departure for Australian rival QBE was announced in January.<br /><br />While at Blackstone Stoddard has been a corporate adviser to Aviva since the start of 2013, which the insurer said gave him "in-depth knowledge of the business".<br /><br />Stoddard's appointment is the latest in a string of top-level changes since Chief Executive Mark Wilson arrived in 2013 after a shareholder revolt ousted his predecessor.<br /><br />Wilson has since been steering a root-and-branch revamp of the company that has seen it reshuffle its business priorities, ditching non-core assets and expanding overseas.<br /><br />Stoddard, whose appointment has been approved by regulators, will start at Aviva on May 5.<br /><br />A former Credit Suisse, UBS and Lehman Brothers banker, he will receive a basic annual salary of 675,000 pounds ($1.13 million) and a bonus of up to one and a half times that figure. Two thirds of any award made into Aviva stock must be deferred for three years, the company said.