NatWest CEO receives women’s cabinet and FinTech Scotland chair recognized in New Year Honours

NatWest’s Alison Rose and FinTech Scotland’s Stephen Ingledew were named in the King’s first New Year honors list.

Image source: Alison Rose/NatWest.

A few well-known fintech names have appeared in the New Year Honors list again this year, with NatWest CEO Alison Rose notably given a lady status.

Rose, who became the first woman to lead a top UK lender when she took over as chief executive in November 2019, received the honor for her contribution to financial services.

She has been a keen champion of diversity, equity and inclusion, and has particularly pushed to improve female representation in the financial sector.

In 2019, the government invited her to review the barriers women face in business, and she subsequently wrote the report “The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship” which addresses the gender gap.

Three years later, the review has led to a 33 per cent increase in the number of women-run businesses.

“It is a huge privilege to receive a Damehood in His Majesty’s New Year’s Honors List and I am incredibly proud to lead an organization that plays such a positive role in the lives of people and families across the UK,” Rose wrote on LinkedIn.

“This honor is a reflection of the fantastic work of all my colleagues at NatWest Group and the support we provide to the customers and communities we serve; promoting enterprise, building financial capacity and channeling the power of finance to tackle climate change.”

With her ladyship, Rose joins fellow fintech leaders Sir Ron Kalifa and Sir António Horta-Osório who have both been knighted in recent years.

Elsewhere in finance, Stephen Ingledew, executive chairman of FinTech Scotland, was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to the financial technology sector.

Ingledew founded FinTech Scotland in 2018 and has chaired it since, advocating to make the world of finance more open and inclusive.

He is one of the founders of the FinTech National Network, which facilitates collaboration across UK fintech clusters, and sits on the UK Government’s Business Innovation Forum and the Scottish Government’s Innovation Steering Group.

“I am honored to receive an OBE for services to financial technology. To be recognized for doing something I am passionate about is incredible and I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the many people who have given me valuable support,” said Ingledew.

“It is a great privilege to be at the heart of financial innovation, leveraging expertise across all UK regions to grow the economy, attract inward investment and develop export opportunities, further strengthening the UK’s role as a global fintech leader.”