Location: London
Sector: Banking / Financial Services / Fintech

The Opportunity

Sayer Haworth has been retained on a confidential basis by a fast-growing UK specialist bank seeking to appoint an Independent Non-Executive Director to join its Board during an important phase of strategic growth and development.

This is an opportunity to join a well-capitalised and entrepreneurial banking platform that has successfully completed its early-stage build and is now focused on scaling profitability, enhancing its product capability, and delivering long-term shareholder value.

The Bank has recently strengthened both its Board and Executive leadership teams and is entering its next phase of growth with ambitions to broaden its product suite, scale operational capability, and continue building a differentiated proposition within the UK SME and specialist lending market.

The Board is seeking an experienced executive or existing Non-Executive Director with deep operational and/or technology leadership expertise, ideally gained within a regulated or high-growth environment.

The Role

The Independent Non-Executive Director will provide independent oversight, constructive challenge, and strategic support to the Chair, Board, and Executive leadership team.

The role will focus particularly on operational scalability, technology enablement, governance, and the successful growth of a regulated business operating within a dynamic and evolving market environment.

The successful candidate will contribute to Board discussions across strategy, operational effectiveness, customer outcomes, risk management, governance, and organisational scaling.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing informed and independent challenge across strategic and operational matters
• Supporting the Board and Executive team in scaling the business in a sustainable and well-governed manner
• Contributing expertise in operational transformation, technology, digital infrastructure, and business scalability
• Challenging and supporting the development of the Bank’s operating model and long-term strategy
• Bringing insight into the optimisation of emerging technologies, including AI and digital enablement
• Monitoring Executive performance against strategic objectives and business plans
• Supporting robust governance, risk management, and financial control frameworks
• Ensuring strong customer outcomes and alignment with Consumer Duty expectations
• Reviewing external opportunities, threats, and emerging market developments impacting the Bank
• Acting as an ambassador for the organisation and helping connect the Bank with relevant external networks and relationships
• Participating in relevant Board Committees including Risk, Audit, Nomination, and Remuneration Committees as appropriate

The appointment will be classified as a Notified Non-Executive Director under the Senior Managers & Certification Regime.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate is likely to bring:

• Significant executive leadership experience within Operations, Technology, Digital Transformation, or Infrastructure
• Experience operating within a regulated or highly governed environment
• Proven track record of scaling businesses through periods of growth and organisational change
• Strong understanding of governance, risk management, and Board oversight responsibilities
• Commercially minded and strategically focused approach
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement capability
• Ability to provide constructive challenge whilst maintaining a collaborative and supportive Board style
• High levels of integrity, judgement, and personal credibility

Previous Non-Executive Director experience would be advantageous, although the Board is also open to considering a high-calibre first-time Non-Executive Director with the appropriate executive background and leadership capability.

Experience within banking, fintech, digital lending, specialist finance, payments, or technology-enabled financial services environments would be particularly attractive.

Time Commitment

The role will involve attendance at approximately 6–8 Board meetings per annum, together with Committee meetings and associated preparation time.

Meetings are held primarily in person in London.

The Opportunity

This appointment offers the opportunity to join the Board of a growing and ambitious specialist bank at a pivotal stage of its evolution.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the future strategic direction, operational scaling, and governance development of a regulated banking platform with strong shareholder support and long-term growth ambitions.