(26 July 2023 – United Kingdom) NatWest CEO Alison Rose has stepped down with immediate effect after she admitted a “serious error of judgment” in discussing former Brexit party leader Nigel Farage’s relationship with the bank with a senior BBC journalist.
The board appointed Paul Thwaite to helm NatWest for an initial period of 12 months, the company said in a statement.
“The board and Alison Rose have agreed, by mutual consent, that she will step down as CEO of the NatWest Group,” Howard Davies, chairman of the board, said.
The taxpayer-backed lender has faced intense political and media scrutiny over a decision by its private bank Coutts to close Farage’s accounts after the politician-turned-broadcaster obtained an internal document that said this was partly because his views were not “aligned” with the bank’s.