The Board is collectively responsible for the long-term success of Unity Trust Bank. It provides strategic direction and guidance to the Executive and management, and monitors performance against financial and non-financial measures and risk appetite. The Board is the custodian of Unity’s vision, values and standards.
Appointed to the Board: April 2015.
Skills brought to the Board: Retail & commercial banking & finance; successful innovation; fintech; marketing; non-executive and chair experience. He believes in innovation for the public good.
Alan chairs the Board and the Nomination Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.
Alan spent 35 years at HSBC rising to its UK/EU executive board as General Manager with responsibility for all products, service, pricing, and marketing. He was Chief Executive of First Direct Bank, ran significant subsidiaries of HSBC and was a main board director of its commercial asset finance group. He was responsible for commercial invoice finance throughout HSBC Group.
Alan has taught banking and was a visiting lecturer at Warwick University (voted MBA teacher of the year four times) and at Oxford University Saïd Business School. He has served as Deputy Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor at Loughborough University, member of HM Government Cabinet Office Delivery Council and a Director of the UK Passport Agency as well as at other banking and financial companies.
Alan serves as Chairman of Equals Group plc (AIM listed) and Mitsubishi HC Capital UK plc (formerly Hitachi Capital UK plc).
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and holds an MBA from Henley Management College and an honorary doctorate from Loughborough University.
Appointed to the Board: August 2021.
Skills brought to the Board: Strategic leadership in financial services businesses, investment expertise, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and a champion for social impact.
Debbie has over 35 years’ experience in financial services, most recently as CEO of HSBC Global Asset Management (USA) and Regional Head of HSBC Global Asset Management, Americas. She was responsible for the day-to-day management of HSBC’s US asset management business and oversaw the asset management businesses in Canada, Mexico and Argentina, and previously in Bermuda and Brazil. She was the Independent Trustee of HSBC’s US Mutual Fund complex, and was on the Board of both HSBC’s US and Canadian asset management businesses. Previously she was the CEO of FFTW, a fixed income global asset management business operating in five countries. Earlier in her career she had roles in client service and business development responsible for Central Bank clients around the world and for many years was a portfolio manager managing global fixed income investments.
Debbie is on the board of the School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA) a boarding school for Afghan girls.
Debbie has a BA (Hons) summa cum laude in Social Studies (Economics) from New York University, an MA (Hons) in Organisational Psychology (specialising in Change Leadership) from Columbia University, and a Master of International Service (MIS) degree in International Development from American University.
Appointed to the Board: November 2015.
Skills brought to the Board: Leading financial analyst, deep knowledge of bank accounting, reporting and regulation, macro-economics and the economic environment, regulatory & central bank policy, UK banking innovation.
Sandy chairs the Board Audit Committee and is a member of the Board Risk Committee, and the Nomination Committee.
Sandy has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, as analyst and executive. He has published a book titled ‘Integrated Bank Analysis and Valuation: A Practical Guide to the ROIC Methodology’ (Palgrave, 2013), has advised the UK government on banking issues and occasionally appears in the media as a commentator on business and macro-economic issues.
Sandy is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Graphene Composites Ltd.
Sandy holds a BA ‘magna cum laude et cum honoribus’ in International Relations and a BA in Economics from Brown University (US) and was awarded Phi Beta Kappa academic honours; he also attended Phillips Academy Andover (US).
Appointed to the Board: March 2023.
Skills brought to the Board: Commercial banking, credit and operational risk, banking regulation, SME lending, financial crime and anti fraud experience
Chris is Chair of the Board Risk Committee and a member of the Board Audit Committee and the Nomination Committee.
Chris has over 40 years’ global credit and risk experience which she gained through a variety of roles at HSBC. Most recently she provided advisory and expert witness support to the HSBC legal team on regulatory matters arising from the 2008 financial crisis. Prior to this she served as HSBC’s Managing Director and Global Head of Funds’ Due Diligence and Control, their Global Head of Funds Risk, and was Chief Risk Officer at HSBC Securities Services.
Chris serves on the Board of Atom Bank plc, a retail digital mortgage and savings bank. She is the owner and Practice Director of The George Road Clinic, a multi-disciplinary Private Medical Practice providing a range of out-patient services. Chris is also a Director and Charity Trustee of the British Pig Association and UK Tag, a non-profit concerned with the development of livestock exports.
Chris has a BA, Politics and Economics and a Finance Houses Association Diploma.
Appointed to the Board: July 2022.
Skills brought to the Board: Knowledge and experience of accountancy and knowledge of Trade Unions. Currently holds Non-Executive Director positions within a not-for-profit financial service organisation.
Graham is a member of the Board Audit Committee.
Throughout his career, Graham has specialised in accountancy gaining extensive experience in a range of industries and sectors; commercial catering, both onshore and offshore, engineering and leisure.
Graham was Chief Accountant at GMB since January 1998 until he was appointed to the Union’s Senior Management Team as Head of Finance in November 2021. He has managed several large and complex projects, working with directors, stakeholders, and the Union’s Senior Management team. Graham is responsible for the financial and statutory reporting for the union, at GMB, and its relationship with various external organisations and has played an active role in the general management, financial stewardship, investments, banking and asset management of the union.
Graham has a BA in Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde. He became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Scotland in 1981 and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Appointed to the Board: November 2020.
Skills brought to the Board: Knowledge of Trade Unions, corporate governance, investor relations, pensions, and non-executive experience.
Alex is a member of the Board Risk Committee, the Remuneration Committee, and the Nomination Committee. He is Chair of the Unity Trust Bank Pension Scheme.
Alex has over 20 years’ experience working in the Trade Union sector, and has worked with a number of FTSE 100 companies. In his role as Head of Pensions at Unite the Union, Alex is responsible for the operation of a £1billion defined benefit pension scheme and is an active voice within the pensions industry, particularly around Environmental, Social and Governance issues.
Alex is also a director of Evolve Pensions Limited.
Appointed to the Board: November 2017.
Skills brought to the Board: Financial services business models, accounting and regulation; investment management, impact analysis and start-up experience.
Susan is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Nomination Committee.
Susan joined the bank with a 30 year career as an analyst and investor in financial services. She was an early board member of the Swedish internet stockbroker Avanza AB. She was a Commissioner on the Dormant Assets Commission, tasked with unlocking money for the charitable sector, and as a Specialist Adviser to the Treasury Select Committee of the House of Commons.
Susan serves on the board of Asia Dragon Trust plc, a listed investment trust. She is a Senior Adviser to the Investor Forum CIC and an active angel investor, particularly in fintech.
Susan has a B.A. from Cornell University and an MSFS. from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. She is a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and a Member of Chapter Zero and an Ambassador for Women on Boards UK.
Appointed to the Board: August 2020.
Skills brought to the Board: Strategic leadership, business transformation, financial accounting, treasury and regulatory reporting.
Dom has over 20 years’ experience working for global banks, undertaking various Managing Director level roles at RBS including leading the Group response to Brexit. He was extensively involved in RBS’s restructuring post the Financial Crisis, managing the Financial Planning and Regulatory teams through the de-risking of the Global Markets business, before running groupwide Cost Transformation. He previously held senior positions at Credit Suisse, UBS and Merrill Lynch.
Dom has a degree in Accountancy and Management Information Systems and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
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