The new line up at Metro Bank looks like they plucked a big name from each sector of financial services (and indeed every section of my contacts book if it was that well organised).
It’s quite a list as in Howard Flight: fund management (his own firm) and politics, Ben Gunn: insurance, life and pensions, Stuart Bernau: lending and top building society stuff, Keith Carby: IFAs and multi-ties and everything to do with distribution and Anthony Thomson: a sort of omnivore for all things to with marketing in financial services as chair. The list includes former Mastercard chief executive Gene Lockhart with former RBS managing director Craig Donaldson as chief executive.
But what on earth to make of this list? No doubt more will be revealed when the bank makes its debut in the next few months. For now Metro Bank may be doing a very clever thing by setting the standard for non-execs with the sort of wealth and hands on experience including experience of crises that non-executives of pre crash banks did not have. It may also balance things for Donaldson, if he were to face any flak for having been an RBS man.
The other conclusion might be that although this is early days, the bank may have ambitions in just about every area of financial services you care to mention.
If they can all get on, this could well be a bank of all the talents.
