Royal Bank of Scotland sparked speculation it has lined up a successor to chief executive Ross McEwan on Wednesday when it promoted internal candidate Alison Rose.
The high-flying Rose, regarded as able and highly ambitious, becomes deputy chief executive of NatWest Holdings, the bit of the huge bank which runs retail banking.
She will report to McEwan and also remain head of RBS’s commercial and private banking business.
McEwan, the Kiwi who has steered RBS away from disaster since 2013, has said he will stay until at least 2020.
City insiders say he wants to give insiders the chance to show their worth, but that no decision has been made about his successor.
Analysts think an external candidate remains a more likely appointment. One top bank watcher said: “She is certainly the most ‘hyped’ prospective CEO of all time.
“She should be seen as the ‘continuity candidate’, a ‘safe pair of hands’ to see RBS through the final couple of years of RBS’s tortuous decade-long restructuring programme.”
McEwan said: “Alison has been doing a fantastic job leading our commercial and private banking division and cementing our position as the UK’s biggest and best bank for business.
“Alison’s commitment and focus on our customers will also be a strong addition to board discussions.”
