Starling Bank has appointed Ovo boss Raman Bhatia to be its permanent chief executive, taking over from interim CEO John Mountain ahead of a planned public listing. Bhatia is set to join the digital challenger bank in the early summer, subject to regulatory approval. Mountain was named interim CEO after the bank’s founder Anne Boden stepped down as chief executive last June. She cited a desire to split up her role as a major shareholder and the chief executive.
Starling’s revenues doubled to £216m, while its loan book grew nearly 50 per cent to £4.9bn. David Sproul, chair of Starling, said on Tuesday “We see significant opportunities for Starling under Raman’s leadership as the economy stabilises, as our truly differentiated offering for personal and small business customers wins market share in the UK, and as our Engine by Starling software-as-a-service business secures further international contracts.