United Trust Bank appoints Sam Bowerman as Chief People Officer

United Trust Bank (UTB) has appointed Sam Bowerman as its new Chief People Officer, succeeding Georgie Reisser-Weston, who is retiring after 12 years as Human Resources Director.

Bowerman brings more than 25 years’ experience in people development to the role, including the last two decades in senior human resources positions across NatWest Group. Her career has spanned the full breadth of banking – Retail, Wealth, Business, Commercial, Investment Banking and Corporate Functions. Most recently, as People Director for Retail and Wealth, she led people strategy, workforce and business transformation, organisation design, talent strategy and capability building, while co-leading the development of NatWest Group’s High Performance Culture.

In addition, Bowerman has supported major transactions including due diligence, acquisitions, disposals and post-acquisition integration. With responsibility for around 20,000 colleagues in the UK and India, she served as a member of both the Retail Executive Committee and the Group HR Executive Committee.

She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, has completed leadership development programmes with Deloitte, Cambridge University and IMD, and is a Trustee and Vice Chair of Kids Charity.

In her new role, Bowerman will take responsibility for UTB’s Human Resources function and join the Bank’s management team. She will support new initiatives, help prioritise investment and focus, and play a key role in delivering UTB’s medium-term ambition to double in size.

Welcoming the new appointment, Harley Kagan, Chief Executive Officer of United Trust Bank, said:

“Sam is a highly experienced banker with a proven track record of running an extensive HR function and helping colleagues to develop their careers and reach their full potential. I am delighted that she will be bringing her considerable knowledge and skills to UTB at this very exciting time in our future planning. Our people drive our business forward and Sam will play a vital role in enabling them to thrive, grow and deliver the Bank’s bold ambition.

“I also want to thank Georgie Reisser-Weston for her immense contribution to the Bank and to wish her a very long, healthy and happy retirement. When she joined us 12 years ago, we numbered less than 100 people. During her tenure we have grown to a team of more than 400 talented individuals, still united by a common goal. She has worked hard to ensure that we maintained the strong, values-driven culture which underlies our success.”

Commenting on her appointment, Bowerman said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining UTB at such an exciting point in its journey. The Bank has achieved remarkable success to date, and its bold ambition for continued growth and transformation is something I’m thrilled to help drive. I’m passionate about creating the culture, capabilities and colleague experience that enable people to thrive, grow and deliver the Bank’s ambitions for the future.”