Sept 13 (Reuters) - British asset manager St. James's Place on Wednesday appointed former Prudential executive Mark FitzPatrick to succeed Andrew Croft, who is stepping down in early December.

FitzPatrick will join as the CEO-designate of St. James's Place on Oct. 1, and take over the reins from Croft on Dec. 1.

Croft, who has been with the company for around 30 years, has been at the helm since 2018 after a 13-year stint as the group's finance chief.

He will remain with the company into 2024 "to assist the business as required", the asset manager said.

FitzPatrick was the finance chief of Prudential from 2017 to 2022, and served as the Asia-focussed insurer's group CEO on an interim basis till February this year.

(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)