New appointments to UK Finance board
UK Finance has today announced the appointments of Anne Boden, CEO at Starling Bank Limited, Ruth Leas, CEO at Investec Bank plc, Beatriz Martin Jimenez, Global IB COO & UK Chief Executive at UBS, Steve Hughes, CEO at Coventry Building Society, Anne Marie Verstraeten, UK Country Head BNP Paribas to its board.
In line with the expiration of their terms agreed with UK Finance board the following will be stepping down from 1 July 2020:
- Paul Gallagher, ABN AMRO
- Paul Lynam, Secure Trust
- Peter Smith, Blockchain
- Ian Stuart, HSBC
In addition, Jeni Mundy, MD UK & Ireland, Visa joined the board, replacing Charlotte Hogg, Visa, as of 22 May 2020.
Representing more than 250 firms, UK Finance is the collective voice for the banking and finance industry acting to enhance competitiveness, support customers and facilitate innovation. It offers research, policy expertise and advocacy as well as operational and project implementation to enhance members’ own services where collective activity across the industry is appropriate. The board, which is led by UK Finance Chair Bob Wigley, has been developed to ensure senior and fair representation across the industry – as of 1 July 2020, it will achieve a 50:50 gender representation split.
Commenting on the changes to the UK Finance board, Bob Wigley, Chair of UK Finance, said:
“More so than ever, it’s vital that the banking, finance and payments industry is able to support its customers, providing them with the finance they need during these difficult times. The UK Finance board has an important role to play in enabling us to support our members and their customers, comprising senior leaders who bring together diverse and wide-ranging expertise from across our member firms. And that diversity is absolutely key in every sense, helping us to understand the needs of the customers our members serve which is why I am delighted that on our three year anniversary, we have achieved equal gender representation on our board.
“The board would also like to express its gratitude to Paul Gallagher, Paul Lynam, Peter Smith, Ian Stuart, and Charlotte Hogg who have all made a significant contribution in the development and success of UK Finance over the last three years.”
Ann Cairns, chair of the 30% Club and vice chair of Mastercard said:
“I am delighted to see the new appointees to the UK Finance board. It is testament to a forward-looking board that they have reached gender balance in a few short years. All of the evidence shows that diverse boards achieve the best results and this latest development demonstrates UK Finance as an industry role model for its members.”