The Banking Standards Board (BSB) today (Tuesday 1 March) announced the appointment of Sir Brendan Barber as its Deputy Chairman.
Commenting on the appointment, Dame Colette Bowe, Chairman of the BSB, said:
‘Sir Brendan has served as a founding non-practitioner member of the BSB board since its formation in April 2015. He is a doughty customer champion and his extensive employment relations experience has already made a significant contribution to the BSB’s work around how banks and building societies manage and motivate their workforces. I am delighted that the Board has elected Brendan to the role of Deputy Chairman and look forward to working with him more closely.
I would also like to thank Lord McFall for his work as Deputy Chairman over the past year, in particular helping to launch the BSB successfully. We wish him all the best in his future pursuits.’
Sir Brendan Barber added:
‘The Banking Standards Board has an important role to play in supporting, challenging and scrutinising firms across the UK banking sector. Regulation alone cannot foster good behaviour or nurture and develop good managers. It’s about the tone from the top of the firm, how it filters down to middle and front line staff and whether those staff really understand what is expected of them and have the confidence to challenge and speak up if things aren’t right.
Being part of the BSB’s early work has been fascinating and I look forward to taking on the role of Deputy Chairman and working alongside Dame Colette as the BSB enters its next stage of development.’
Read Sir Brendan’s biography below or alongside his BSB film:
Sir Brendan Barber was appointed as the Chair of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) in January 2014.
He was previously the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress from 2003 to 2012 having first joined the TUC in 1975. He is a member of the Board of Transport for London and of the Council of City University, London. He is also a member of the Board of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
During his time at the TUC he sat on the Acas Council from 1995 to 2004, the Board of Sport England from 1999 to 2003 and the Court of Directors of the Bank of England from 2003 to 2012.
He is a Visiting Fellow at the Said Business School, Oxford University, and a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. In 2007 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the City University. Sir Brendan was knighted in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to employment relations.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
The Banking Standards Board (BSB) was established in April 2015 to promote high standards of behaviour and competence across UK banks and building societies.
A successful, dynamic UK economy needs a strong, stable banking sector that serves the best interests of its customers. For the sector to contribute fully to the economy and society it needs to be trusted; not only by its customers (in the UK and globally), but also by its staff, by potential employees, by regulators and by policy makers. Trust in the sector has been damaged, and it is only the industry itself – by demonstrating honesty, reliability and competence on a consistent and collective basis – that can rebuild it.
The BSB is a private sector body funded by membership subscriptions and open from 2016 to all banks and building societies operating in the UK. It is neither a regulator nor a trade association; it has no statutory powers, and it does not speak or lobby for the industry. It provides challenge, support and scrutiny for firms committed to rebuilding the sector’s reputation, and impartial and objective assessments of performance and progress.