Vida Bank has appointed Alexander Filshie, the former chief financial officer at Kensington Mortgages, as a non-executive director as the challenger lender pushes ahead with its growth plans.
Filshie (pictured), who has held senior roles at American Express, Visa, Barclays and Standard Chartered during a 30-year career in financial services, brings particular expertise in specialist mortgages and global finance.
His arrival follows the appointment of Stuart Sinclair as chair, succeeding Steve Haggerty, who stepped down after nine years. Sinclair has previously held senior positions at Tesco Bank, GE Capital and RBS, and has sat on the boards of Lloyds Banking Group, TSB and LV.
The boardroom changes come as Vida approaches the first anniversary of securing its UK banking licence. The lender is seeking to expand its retail funding base while building a stronger presence in the specialist mortgage market.
Anth Mooney, chief executive of Vida Bank, said: “Alexander’s appointment adds further depth and experience to our Board at a pivotal stage in our journey.
“His track record in specialist mortgages and financial services will be instrumental as we continue to build scale and deliver on our ambition to become the UK’s most trusted specialist mortgage bank.”
Filshie said he was “excited to join the Board at such an important stage” and added that the bank had “a clear opportunity to play a bigger role in the specialist mortgage market”.
