Alison Rose (banker)
Alison Rose | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Banking executive |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Known for | First female CEO of NatWest Group (2019–2023) |
| Notable work | Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship (2019) |
Dame Alison Marie Rose-Slade (Template:Nee Rose; born November 1969) is a British banking executive who held the position of chief executive officer at NatWest Group from November 2019 until July 2023, marking a milestone as the first female leader of a major UK banking institution. She was honoured as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2023 New Year Honours.
Early life
Rose was born in 1969 and spent her early years abroad within a military family before relocating back to the United Kingdom at age 15. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from Durham University in 1991.
Career
Starting her professional journey in 1992, Rose joined NatWest as a graduate trainee.
By February 2014, she had secured a place on RBS's executive committee. In her role overseeing commercial and private banking, she introduced programs aimed at boosting female leadership representation and encouraged executives to strengthen connections with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In April 2018, she took on the role of non-executive director at Great Portland Estates, a position she held until July 2023.
Commissioned by HM Treasury in September 2018, Rose led an inquiry into obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs. The resulting Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, published in March 2019, revealed that women constitute only one-third of UK business founders and that less than one percent of venture capital funding is allocated to all-female teams. Later that year, she was promoted to deputy chief executive of NatWest Holdings.
Widely anticipated to replace Ross McEwan, Rose was named CEO of RBS Group (which rebranded as NatWest Group in 2020) in November 2019, becoming the first woman to head a major UK bank. Concurrently, she maintained responsibility as chief executive for commercial and private banking within the group.
In October 2021, Durham University awarded her an honorary degree.
Rose resigned from her CEO role at NatWest Group on 26 July 2023 amid controversy surrounding the closure of Nigel Farage’s Coutts bank account. Although an independent review cleared her of involvement in the closure decision, she acknowledged making a "serious error of judgement" after discussing Farage’s confidential banking information with a BBC journalist before it was publicly reported. Her fixed remuneration amounted to £2.4 million, but she relinquished £7.6 million in bonuses and share incentives.
In October 2023, the Information Commissioner’s Office initially found Rose had violated data protection regulations but subsequently withdrew this finding and issued an apology. Following a legal firm’s investigation, NatWest confirmed that no misconduct was attributed to her.
For her contributions to finance, Rose was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours and received an honorary degree from York University’s new Chancellor, Dr Heather Melville.
In February 2023, she assumed leadership of the Government’s Energy Efficiency Taskforce but stepped down in July 2023. That same month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak named her to the Government’s Business Council.
Previously, Rose chaired the advisory council for McLaren/Deloitte and served as vice chair for Business in the Community.
In July 2024, she joined Charterhouse Capital Partners as a senior advisor. Two months later, in September 2024, she took on a role as diversity and inclusion adviser at law firm Mishcon de Reya.
Personal life
Rose is married to David Slade, a banker at UBS, and together they have two children. The family lives in Highgate, London.