He packs two decades' experience as executive and non-executive director
Danske Bank UK has appointed Martin Stewart (pictured left) as chair effective January 1, 2023. In addition to being the Bank of England’s director of banks, building societies, and credit unions, Stewart is the senior independent director on the board of Danske Bank UK and has been its non-executive director since 2020.
Stewart has held senior positions at the Financial Services Authority as well as the Bank of England Prudential Regulation Authority, where part of his duties included overseeing Northern Irish banks, building societies, and credit unions. He also brings 20 years of board-level experience as an executive, non-executive, advisor, and regulator to his new role.
He will replace the current chair of Danske Bank UK, Gerald Gregory.
“Martin is a well-known and respected figure in the UK financial services sector and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him in his forthcoming new position as chair,” said CEO Vicky Davies (pictured right). “On behalf of the board, I want to thank Gerald for his tremendous leadership over the past decade - a period in which we became a stronger bank, delivering significant growth. These were [challenging] years, which included navigating unprecedented levels of change across the industry, rising regulatory demands, increased competition, Brexit, and the pandemic.”
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Stewart said the bank would remain focused on supporting customers through the months again, in what he called “a time of economic uncertainty”.
“The board will continue to put customers at the heart of everything we do, as we work alongside the senior management team to consolidate our leading position in Northern Ireland while pursuing opportunities in the rest of the UK,” he said.
Last year, Danske Bank UK introduced the UK’s first carbon neutral mortgage – first in Northern Ireland, then to customers in England through intermediaries.
Read more: Danske Bank launches carbon neutral mortgage in UK
Danske Bank UK is also an active lender to Britain’s social housing sector and in the syndicated lending space.
