Cooperative bank Appoints new chef Excecutive

The Co-operative Bank has appointed Andrew Bester as its chief executive, replacing Liam Coleman who is stepping down from the role.

Mr Bester joins from Lloyds Banking Group, where he was group director and chief executive of the commercial banking group. Since 2012, he is credited with leading a customer-focused turnaround at Lloyds and for his work on inclusion and diversity, which saw him named Advocate of the Year at the 2017 Women in Finance Awards.

Prior to Lloyds, he worked at PwC, Deloitte and Standard Chartered Bank, where he held senior leadership roles in wholesale banking in Africa and Asia, before rising to the role of chief operating officer for consumer banking in 2011.

He joined the Co-op Bank on Monday and a handover process will see him take over from Mr Coleman, who is leaving after a year and half in the role. Mr Bester will be the Bank’s fifth chief executive in seven years.

Chairman Bob Dench said: “I am delighted that we are appointing Andrew as CEO. He is a first class business leader with the experience, drive and intellect required to lead the organisation forward at a key point in its turnaround journey.

“Five years ago, the bank faced very significant problems and over that time we have made progress towards successfully tackling those issues.