When Alison Rose became the CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland in November, she wasted no time in shaking up the institution: In early December, the CEO and the CFO of NatWest Markets, RBS’ troubled investment banking arm, resigned their positions.
The first woman to run one of the UK’s four High Street banks, Rose is expected to unveil her strategy to revitalize RBS early in 2020, when annual results are announced. Losses at NatWest tipped its parent into the red during the third quarter of 2019.
Rose, who comes from a military family, grew up all over the world before studying history at Durham University in the UK. She started her career in 1992 as a graduate trainee at National Westminster Bank and has held many positions at RBS, including head of commercial and private banking. Along the way, she has been a fierce advocate for women in banking. In 2014, she was appointed a member of RBS’ executive committee and a year later announced a plan to bring more women into seats of power. She later helped lead a UK Treasury review on barriers for women in business.
