CEO of Starling Bank to step aside

Starling’s COO, John Mountain, will take over as interim CEO to lead the digital bank into its next phase of growth, while Anne remains on the board as a NED. 

The announcement comes as the bank published its record profits for 2022-23 of £195m — a six-fold increase on the previous year’s figure of £32m.

Anne commented: “We’ve succeeded in disrupting an entire industry and I’m immensely proud of these results.

“I have spent nearly a decade here as both the founder and CEO — a dual role which is unique in UK banking — it’s been all-consuming, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

“Now that we have grown from being an aspiring challenger to an established bank, it is clear the roles and priorities of a CEO and a large shareholder ultimately differ and require distinct approaches.

“Handing over my responsibilities to John will enable me to focus on my position as a shareholder, ensuring we hold true to our values and vision of changing banking for the better.”

John, added: “What makes us stand out is that we’ve succeeded in making it both customer- and technology-led throughout.

“I look forward to continuing our work of changing banking for good.”