Starling Bank names Ovo chief Raman Bhatia as new group CEO
UK challenger Starling Bank has appointed Raman Bhatia as its new group chief executive officer (CEO).
Raman Bhatia, Starling Bank’s new CEO
The current Ovo Energy CEO is set to take up the reins from John Mountain, the bank’s chief operating officer (COO), who assumed the CEO position on an interim basis following the departure of Starling’s founder Anne Boden last June.
Prior to joining the UK-based renewable energy solutions provider, where he has served as both COO and CEO, Bhatia had served as head of digital banking for HSBC’s retail banking and wealth management business in the UK and Europe – a remit that also included responsibility for First Direct and M&S Bank.
For Starling Bank, Bhatia is expected to spearhead growth initiatives across its business and retail banking units as well as its Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) technology platform Engine, which the bank is actively trying to introduce to new markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
David Sproul, chair of Starling Bank, says the appointment will cultivate “significant opportunities”, while Boden describes Bhatia as “someone who can take Starling into its next phase of growth”.
Bhatia is set to take up the role “in early summer”, according to the bank’s statement on the matter, subject to regulatory approval.
