Tandem Bank, a UK challenger bank, has announced significant executive changes following a board refresh earlier this year.
In March, Tandem announced that Stephen Jones would become Chair, succeeding Paul Pester. Jones is currently Executive Chair of Investment Banking at Panmure Liberum. He previously held senior executive roles at Santander and Barclays and was the inaugural Chief Executive of UK Finance. At that time, Clive Kornitzer joined as an Independent Non-Executive Director, replacing Matthew Donaldson. Kornitzer has held senior roles at Santander and One Savings Bank and most recently served as Group Chief Operating Officer at OSB Group.
Neil Chandler, CEO of Tandem, described the changes as preparing for a defining stage of growth. Chandler became CEO in mid-2025, succeeding Alex Mollart.
The executive changes announced today include:
- Simon Bowen joins as Chief Risk Officer. An ACMA-qualified finance leader with more than 25 years’ experience in risk and finance transformation, he most recently served as CRO at Hodge Bank and previously held senior roles at Lloyds Banking Group and Principality Building Society. Supporting him, Natalie Trist has been appointed Director of Credit Risk Strategy, bringing over 25 years of credit leadership experience from HSBC, Close Brothers, Secure Trust Bank and Vanquis Banking Group.
- Kevin Purcell joins as Chief People Officer, succeeding Catherine Diamond. Purcell has much experience across financial services, including as CPO at Secure Trust Bank and Universities Superannuation Scheme, plus senior HR roles at Barclays Investment Bank and UBS Investment.
- Darvish Heshejin has been appointed Managing Director of Home Improvement Lending, stepping up from Director of Strategy and Proposition. He will focus on scaling the proposition as Tandem approaches £1 billion in green lending and on launching a revamped marketplace offering. He succeeds Julian Nutley, founder of Allium Money (acquired by Tandem in 2020), who from September will move into a Senior Adviser role supporting the home improvement lending team.
- Tom Ellmers, who has been with Tandem for over four years, expands his remit as Managing Director of Deposits and Digital Experience. The role consolidates leadership of deposits, the app, brand, customer experience, corporate communications and digital marketing under a single executive.
The executive changes continue a broader leadership update that included Ryan Heaps’ promotion to CFO and Russell Strevens’ arrival as CTO in 2025.
Tandem is profitable, having experienced revenue and asset growth in 2025. Uniquely, it supports a green lending program that has originated around £1 billion in lending. While the green niche is a competitive advantage, Tandem still faces substantial competition from robust digital banks like Monzo and Revolut.