Another said Ms Blanc was “not the man for the job”, while another shareholder questioned whether Blanc should be “wearing trousers”.

Ms Blanc has previously said she heard so many misogynistic comments during her 34-year spell in the City that she had become immune to it.

Born and bred in a former mining community in the Rhondda Valley, Ms Blanc is known as a formidable executive and one of the few Aviva leaders of the past decade to boost the insurer’s flagging fortunes.

She was the first FTSE 100 executive to quit corporate membership of the CBI when the sexual assault scandal broke earlier this year, while many of her peers remained silent.

Her move helped trigger a wave of other resignations and major reform at the business lobby group.

At Aviva, she has put the insurer on a steadier footing, seeing off hedge fund activists and growing the company’s share price.

Also knighted in the New Year’s Honours list is Stephen Hester, the former RBS chief executive who led the bank during the aftermath of the financial crisis.

Mr Hester, now easyJet chairman, is honoured for services to business and the economy.