Headhunters from Spencer Stewart are searching for a new chief executive to replace Ross McEwan at Royal Bank of Scotland.
The New Zealander announced his decision to quit ahead of the lender's AGM We take a look at five of the potential candidates for one of the biggest jobs in European banking.
Alison Rose, deputy CEO of NatWest Holdings
Regarded as the hot favourite by many commentators, the 49-year-old was appointed as No2 at RBS’s ringfenced banking operations in December. That move was seen as paving the way for her to replace McEwan when he eventually departed.
History graduate Rose, a London-based mother-of-two, has worked at RBS for over 20 years with roles including head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, and head of leveraged finance for the UK and Europe. She recently oversaw a review of female entrepreneurship commissioned by the Treasury.
Analysts at Goodbody said they believed shareholders “would be highly supportive” if Rose was offered the job and became the first female CEO of one of the big UK banks.
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Alison Brittain, CEO of Whitbread
Although she now heads leisure giant Whitbread, Brittain has spent most of her career in banking. She joined Whitbread from Lloyds where she was group director of its retail division, with responsibility for the Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland retail branch networks, remote and intermediary channels and products, along with the retail business banking and the wealth businesses.
Before Lloyds, Brittain served as executive director for retail distribution at Santander UK and previously held senior roles at Barclays Bank. She was named Business Woman of the Year 2017 in the Veuve Clicquot awards.
Mark Bailie, CEO of Bó
RBS’s former chief operating officer now heads Bó, its standalone digital bank and banking platform. A PwC trained accountant, Bailie’s early career included a stint at RBS Equity Finance where he led investments such as Canary Wharf and Towergate.
He left to head Barclays Capital's Principal Investments unit leading transactions in the UK, US and South Africa before returning to RBS in 2010 where as COO he oversaw around 20,000 staff. He also played a key role in leading on the sale and run down of parts of the group’s corporate and institutional banking interests.
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António Simões, CEO, global private banking for HSBC
At 44, the relative youth of the Portuguese banker may weigh against Simões, but he is seen as one of the rising stars of the banking sector.
Simões was appointed chief executive of HSBC’s global private banking arm at the beginning of the year after previously serving as chief executive of HSBC Bank plc and chief executive of its Europe operations. Before joining HSBC, Simões was a partner at consultancy McKinsey & Company’s London office. He has also worked at Goldman Sachs in London.
Les Matheson, CEO personal banking at RBS
Matheson has headed up RBS’s personal banking arm for the past five years having first joined the group in 2010. He previously led retail operations at Australian bank St George Bank and spent 11 years with Citigroup, sitting on the Citigroup Global Management Committee.
Matheson began his career in brand management with Procter & Gamble in the UK and has worked for a number of consumer marketing companies. He has lived and worked in Switzerland, Argentina, Japan, Singapore, Australia and Belgium.
