Paul Pester

Paul Pester is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of experience in establishing and leading some of the most innovative and well-established consumer financial services businesses in the United Kingdom and abroad. His expertise lies in leveraging technology and innovation to enhance competition and improve consumer outcomes in the financial services sector. Presently, Paul holds the position of Chair at Tandem Bank, the UK's fastest-growing green digital bank, and Cardeo, a market-disrupting credit card fintech. Additionally, he serves as a Non-Executive Director at the National Bank of Bahrain, representing the Bahrain Sovereign Wealth Fund, Mumtalakat, and is a Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director at Archie Growth, a FinTech accelerator focused on the Middle East, Australia, and the UK. Throughout his distinguished career, Paul has held various executive roles, including being the inaugural Group Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Money, where he launched the business in the UK and Australia. He also served as the Managing Director of Consumer Banking & Payments at Lloyds Banking Group. One of Paul's most significant achievements was his role as CEO of TSB Banking Group for seven years. He spearheaded the creation and launch of the business, led its £1.4 billion IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2014, and oversaw its subsequent sale to Spanish banking group, Sabadell, for £1.7 billion in 2015. More recently, Paul founded, built, and successfully exited Loop, a popular FinTech among Gen Z and Millennial users. A former adviser to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer and HM Treasury on competition issues in banking, Paul is a passionate advocate for consumers' interests. He holds a degree in physics from the University of Manchester and a doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of Oxford.