Goldman Sachs has appointed M Michele Burns as as independent director with immediate effect.

Burns was the chairman and chief executive of Mercer, a subsidiary of investment consulting firm Marsh & McLennan Companies. Before that, she served as chief financial officer of several firms, including Marsh & McLennan, Mirant Corporation and Delta Air Lines. She is currently on the board of Cisco Systems and Wal-Mart Stores. 

Her addition to Goldman Sachs bring's the board count to 12, 10 of whom are independent directors. Burns will also be a member of each of the firm's audit, risk, compensation and corporate governance and nominating committees.

The move comes just shortly after former director Rajat Gupta pleaded not guilty to several securities fraud charges against him. Gupta was said to have worked with Raj Rajaratnam, the billionaire hedge fund trader who was recently sentenced to 11 years in prison due to insider trading charges.