Born and bred in the capital, the 43-year-old steps into the newly-created position after two years with the bank as a corporate manager, based at its Edinburgh East branch at Waterloo Place.

In a first for the 150-year-old bank, which has had a presence in Edinburgh since 2009, the appointment sees Mr Hulse take on responsibility for driving the bank’s growth right across the city. His remit also covers the Edinburgh West End branch at Haymarket.

Mr Hulse brings more than 20 years of experience in the banking sector, having joined Handelsbanken after four years with Aldermore Bank where he was the senior lending manager for Scotland. Prior to joining Aldermore, he had spent 16 years with Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, where he took on a number of various roles with a property lending background.

Edinburgh West End branch manager Iain Henderson said: “This represents a step-change for the bank in Edinburgh and supports our growth strategy both in the city and UK as a whole.

“Customer satisfaction is the key measure for our branches, with our focus on long-term customer relationships, and Kevin’s appointment is appropriate to support our growth agenda.”

Mr Henderson continued: “We tailor our services to meet customers’ needs whether that be mortgages and deposits on the private banking side or deposit, lending, cards and BACS facilities on the corporate side.

“As Kevin’s focus is now business development for the whole bank offering, both private and corporate, this will be his responsibility.

“Previously, anyone employed on the corporate side has worked with a portfolio as well as focusing on business development. The big change for Kevin is he will not have a portfolio, will be more market facing and that will allow Handelsbanken Edinburgh to become more proactive with Kevin covering the entire city in the new role.”

There are now nine branches established in Scotland and north Cumbria as part of a 150-plus network since opening in the UK in 1982.

Handelsbanken is the only AA-rated bank in the UK, according to Fitch Ratings. It has been rated top for satisfaction 15 years running in an independent satisfaction survey for personal and business banking customers (EPSI Rating Group, 2009-2023). The bank has also been named as the most recommended provider for relationship / account management for SMEs by the Competition and Markets Authority’s Independent Service Quality Survey (February 2024).

“It’s great to be part of a bank which has a good reputation for doing the right thing. My aim is to enhance that reputation in this new role,” said Mr Hulse. “There is no bonus structure here, we are all salaried employees and doing the right thing for the customer is what drives us, and I really like that. There is no incentive for us to do anything that is not 100% right for the customer and the bank. It’s very much a two-way arrangement and we have to be right for each other as we build long-term partnerships.”

Mr Hulse added: “Having the Edinburgh-wide remit is really exciting as it’s a unique role for the bank.

“This is going to be a pivotal role in growing the bank. We have previously relied on organic growth and word of mouth recommendations. They will always be our bread and butter but we are now being more proactive about our proposition and what we actually do and it’s exciting to be part of the Handelsbanken story in Scotland’s capital city.”