Corporate Governance

Ensuring the interests of our shareholders,
employees, customers and suppliers are protected

The Bank

Our corporate governance ensures that we maintain an environment of trust, transparency and accountability and protects the interest of all stakeholders including, among others, United Trust Bank shareholders, employees, customers and suppliers.

Although United Trust Bank Limited is an unlisted company, and therefore not subject to the UK Corporate Governance Code (2018), the Board of Directors nevertheless complies with a number of the provisions of the Code it considers to be appropriate to a company of UTB’s size and nature.

The Board

The Board is chaired by Richard Murley who is responsible for its effectiveness. The size and composition of the Board is kept under review to ensure an appropriate balance of skills and experience is maintained.

The Board of Directors

Richard Murley – Chair

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Richard Murley
Richard Murley

Richard Murley studied law at Oxford University and began his career at Linklaters & Paines before moving into investment banking with Kleinwort Benson and Goldman Sachs. Following a two-year secondment as Director General of The Takeover Panel, he joined NM Rothschild & Son where he is a Senior Advisor. Richard is the Chair of Macmillan Cancer Support and is a member of the Medical Research Council.

Graham Davin – Deputy Chair

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Graham Davin
Graham Davin

Graham was CEO of United Trust Bank from 2004 to 2020. He began his career at Arthur Andersen and was previously Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Finance of Investec Bank and a main board director of Investec for 16 years. He was a founding partner of the Insinger de Beaufort Group and a director of its listed parent and its Dutch bank. He is the Senior Independent NED of The Foschini Group, a listed multi-brand international retailing group and Chair of Optalitix Limited, an Insurtech SaaS provider.

Harley Kagan – Chief Executive Officer

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Harley Kagan
Harley Kagan

Harley Kagan is the Chief Executive Officer of United Trust Bank Limited and a chartered accountant. He has held a number of key roles at UTB including Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Financial Officer. He has worked extensively in banking and corporate finance, concentrating on acquisitions and disposals and was the Finance Director of the UK Operations of Insinger de Beaufort. He also worked as a strategy consultant with Cap Gemini.

Jonathan Ayres – Executive Director

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Jonathan Ayres
Jonathan Ayres

Jonathan Ayres is the Chief Financial Officer of United Trust Bank Limited, a position he previously held at C. Hoare & Co. and Ecofin. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse where he specialised in banks and fund managers before becoming an equity analyst at Goldman Sachs. He studied Computer Science at Cambridge University. He is the Chair of UK Finance’s Specialist Banks Working Group and a member of their Prudential Reporting and Tax Committee.

Mark Stokes – Executive Officer

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Mark Stokes
Mark Stokes

Mark Stokes is the Chief Commercial Officer of United Trust Bank Limited. He has over 20 years’ experience at executive committee level and has a broad knowledge of commercial banking including property and asset finance lending into commercial, SME and consumer markets. Before joining UTB, Mark was Managing Director of Commercial Banking at Metro Bank and has held other senior roles at established and challenger banks including RBS, Lloyds Bank Plc and Chartered Trust.

Alice Altemaire – Non-Executive Director

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Alice Altemaire
Alice Altemaire

Alice Altemaire has been Chief Executive Officer for RCI Bank UK since 2019, the banking arm of Groupe Renault providing savings and motor finance lending to UK customers. Previously, she held responsibilities at RCI Bank and Services group in Paris, as Group Controller, Vice President (“VP”) of Accounting and Performance Control, VP of Mobility Services and Innovation and, since 2016, she has been a member of the Executive Committee. Alice has an MBA from ESSEC Business School and a governance certificate from IFA Science Po education.

Maria Harris – Non-Executive Director

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Maria Harris
Maria Harris

Maria Harris is the former Director of Intermediary Lending at Atom Bank and is now a consultant specialising in fintech and digital transformation in the financial services sector. Maria is a well-known and highly respected figure in the mortgage industry and was responsible for creating and launching Atom Bank’s disruptive and award-winning retail mortgages proposition. She chairs the Home Buying & Selling Technology Group, a government and industry collaboration group and the Open Property Data Association. She is a Chartered Fellow with the Chartered Management Institute and holds supporting roles with technology firms including Coadjute.

Andrew Herd – Non-Executive Director

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Andrew Herd
Andrew Herd

Andrew Herd is the Managing Director of Lancashire Court Capital Limited, a London-based investment and consultancy business. He is Non-Executive Chair of VGC Developments Limited a UK leisure and gaming operator and a Non-Executive Director of Nexus Group Holdings Limited, a property and publishing group, and Cazoo Group Limited, which buys and sells cars on-line.  He is a Chartered Accountant and worked as a merchant banker for many years. He was Managing Director and Head of Financial Institutions at SG Hambros and held senior roles with Paribas Capital Markets and Morgan Grenfell.

Sarah Laessig – Non-Executive Director

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Sarah Laessig
Sarah Laessig

Sarah Laessig has 25 years’ experience in financial services across banking, asset management and pensions. Sarah is Senior Independent Director of National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation, the UK’s largest workplace pension scheme, a non-executive director of JP Morgan Global Growth and Income Investment Trust Plc, and a non-executive board member of Local Pensions Partnership Investments (LPPI), which manages pension fund assets, and a member of the Board of Advisors of data.world, a US based tech company. Sarah was formerly a Commissioner on the Civil Service Commission, an independent regulator that oversees appointments to the Civil Service. Sarah’s executive banking career at Citigroup included managing businesses across developed and developing markets. Sarah holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Stephen Lockley – Non-Executive Director

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Stephen Lockley
Stephen Lockley

Stephen Lockley is Chief Administrative & Finance Officer of the international development organisation World Vision International. He is a Chartered Accountant with many years of experience in financial services and investment banking. During his career, Stephen has been the Group Finance Director of Arbuthnot Banking Group Plc, CEO of Arbuthnot Latham Private Bankers, CFO of VisionFund International, a director at Charterhouse Bank and a Non-Executive Director of an investment fund and an insurance company.

Andrew Woosey – Non-Executive Director

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Andrew Woosey
Andrew Woosey

Andrew Woosey is an experienced board member and trustee with significant experience in financial services. He is currently a non-executive director of AIB Group (UK) plc, a Trustee and Committee Chair on the board of the Centre for Economic Policy Research and Chair on the board of Tom’s Trust. Andrew is a Senior Advisor and Committee Chair for a number of Bain Capital LLP’s portfolio companies. Andrew was previously a partner at Ernst and Young, is a qualified Chartered Accountant and graduated from Cambridge University.

Environmental and social governance

Although our activities have limited direct impact on the environment, we are aware of the important role businesses can play in society and protecting our planet.