ZURICH, April 27 (Reuters) - UBS on Tuesday named Rio Tinto legal executive Barbara Levi as its new general counsel, replacing Markus Diethelm who will retire in November.

Diethelm will remain a senior advisor through 2022, Switzerland's biggest bank said, with responsibility for some legacy litigation cases.

The bank is currently contesting a record 4.5 billion euro ($5.43 billion) penalty in France for allegedly helping wealthy clients stash undeclared assets offshore, with a new ruling set for September.

The bank also promoted Mike Dargan to the newly created executive-level role of Chief Digital and Information Officer as Chief Executive Ralph Hamers on Tuesday prepared to unveil new strategic initiatives for the bank. ($1 = 0.8284 euros) (Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi, editing by John Revill)