Finmeccanica names Pansa as CEO ahead of board review

MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's Finmeccanica has named its chief operating officer, Alessandro Pansa, as chief executive ahead of a board review in April, the company said on Wednesday.

Pansa will take up powers held by chairman Giuseppe Orsi, who was arrested on Tuesday in a probe over allegations of corruption in an Indian helicopter deal.

In a statement, Finmeccanica said its board also named director Guido Venturoni as deputy chairman.

Finmeccanica, which is 30 percent controlled by the state, said it had called shareholder meetings on April 2 and 15 to review its board, more than one month after a general election.

(Reporting By Danilo Masoni)