Starling Bank is further bolstering its leadership team with the appointment of NatWest executive Raghu Narula as chief banking officer.
The appointment is the latest in a series of experienced hires to Starling’s C-suite by CEO Raman Bhatia, who took over at the helm following the departure of founder Anne Boden. It follows the recent addition of Michele Rousseau as chief marketing officer and Adeel Hyder as managing director of SME Banking.
In his role as chief banking officer, Raghu will be responsible for driving customer and commercial growth as well as innovation across all the bank’s customer segments - both business and retail - with a focus on the development and launch of new products, customer propositions and go-to-market strategies.
Raghu joins Starling in February 2025 with more than 20 years of experience across retail, wealth and commercial banking and strategy. He most recently served as managing director, Customer Engagement and Distribution at Natwest Group.
Before joining Natwest, Raghu held a number of key senior leadership positions at HSBC, working across different regions, including Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the UK.
CEO Bhatia, says: “Raghu’s vast knowledge across retail, wealth management, and commercial banking, coupled with his deep understanding of digital transformation in financial services, make him an ideal fit for Starling. He understands how technology will continue to change the way we bank, and how to lead teams to deliver exceptional results. This appointment further strengthens our leadership team as we embark on our next phase of growth.”