Location: London
Sector: Banking / Fintech / Payments
Compensation: Significant executive package and long-term incentive opportunity

The Opportunity

Sayer Haworth has been retained on a confidential basis by a high-growth international financial services and technology organisation seeking to establish a new UK banking entity focused on serving SME customers through integrated digital banking, payments, deposits, and lending solutions.

The organisation is currently progressing plans for a UK banking licence application and is seeking to appoint a Chief Executive Officer to lead the establishment, authorisation, mobilisation, and long-term growth of the business.

This is a rare opportunity to build and scale a digitally enabled bank from inception, shaping the strategic direction, regulatory framework, operating model, and leadership team of a significant new entrant into the UK banking market.

The Role

The Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for leading the end-to-end setup of the UK banking entity, including regulatory engagement, operational readiness, governance implementation, and commercial execution.

Working closely with shareholders, the Board, regulators, and senior stakeholders, the successful candidate will lead the organisation through the banking licence application process before overseeing the mobilisation and scaling of the business.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the UK banking licence application process and acting as the primary executive contact with the PRA, FCA, and Bank of England
• Defining and executing the strategic vision, operating model, and long-term growth strategy for the UK banking entity
• Building and developing the executive leadership team and broader organisational structure
• Establishing robust governance, risk, compliance, operational resilience, and financial crime frameworks
• Overseeing the development of technology, operational, and customer infrastructure
• Driving commercial growth across SME banking, payments, deposits, and lending propositions
• Ensuring the organisation operates in full compliance with UK regulatory expectations and industry best practice
• Building strong relationships with regulators, investors, board members, and external stakeholders
• Leading the business through authorisation, mobilisation, and scale-up phases

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate is likely to bring:

• Significant executive leadership experience within UK banking, fintech, payments, or broader financial services
• Strong understanding of UK banking regulation, governance, SMCR, and prudential requirements
• Experience engaging directly with the PRA, FCA, and/or Bank of England
• Proven experience building, scaling, or transforming regulated financial services businesses
• Strong commercial and strategic capability, particularly within SME banking, payments, lending, or digital banking
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex regulatory programmes, including authorisation or mobilisation processes
• Strong stakeholder management and board-level communication skills
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate effectively within a high-growth and evolving environment

Prior experience leading a de novo bank launch, challenger bank, payments institution, or regulated fintech platform would be highly advantageous.

The Opportunity

This appointment offers the opportunity to play a pivotal leadership role in building a next-generation UK bank backed by a well-capitalised international organisation with significant technology, payments, and financial services expertise.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the strategic and regulatory direction of the business from inception and lead the development of a highly scalable, digitally native banking platform serving the UK SME market.