United Rentals last week named Jenne Britell, PhD, chairwoman of its board. Britell has been a United Rentals director since 2006.

Britell takes over as the company’s first chairperson since United Rentals co-founder resigned from the board August 31. She will continue in her role as chairwoman and CEO of Structured Ventures, which advises the U.S. and foreign companies on financial services and product strategy. Britell was a senior executive at GE Capital from 1996 through 2000, most recently serving as executive vice president of global consumer finance and president of global mortgage and consumer banking. She also served as president and CEO of GE Capital, Central and Eastern Europe.

“In her years as a director, Jenne has demonstrated exceptional business acumen and judgment, from which we will continue to benefit as she assumes additional responsibilities,” said Howard Clark, chairman of the board’s nominating and corporate governance committee.

Britell is a director of three other New York Stock Exchange-listed companies — Crown Holdings, Quest Diagnostics Inc., and West Pharmaceutical Services, and a sustaining trustee of the Fox Chase Cancer Center and a director of the U.S.-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law.

Based in Greenwich, Conn., United Rentals is No. 1 on the RER 100.