RBS announces appointment of new Williams & Glyn CFO

Royal Bank of Scotland has announced the appointment of Leigh Bartlett as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Williams & Glyn, the name given to the tranche of branches to be spun out of the 80 per cent state-owned bank as a condition of its 2008 government bailout.

Mr Bartlett leaves Westpac New Zealand, where he has spent four years as CFO, to take up the role at the bank, which is being created from the sale of around 300 RBS branches and other business banking elements to fulfill the requirement imposed by the European Commission at the time of RBS’s £45 billion rescue.

Prior to his time with Westpac, Mr Bartlett held senior UK banking and corporate finance roles with RBS, Alliance & Leicester, PwC and KPMG.

He will join Williams & Glyn on 1 September, subject to regulatory approval.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Barlett said: “I’m very excited to be taking up this position and I look forward to playing a leading role in building a vibrant UK challenger bank in Williams & Glyn. Williams & Glyn has a proud heritage of customer service, which reaches back to the 1700s. The new bank will draw on this and be a positive and powerful addition to the UK banking sector.”

RBS chief administrative officer, Simon McNamara added: “I’m delighted to welcome Leigh to the Williams & Glyn team. He brings with him a wealth of expertise and experience, from both here and abroad. He will play a key role as we move towards the launch of Williams & Glyn next year.”