Martin is Non-Executive Director – Chair Board Risk Committee at Coventry Building Society and the former Director of Banks, Building Societies & Credit Unions at the Bank of England Prudential Regulation Authority.
He has 20 years’ board level experience as an executive, non-executive, adviser and regulator. He offers UK and European operational experience, ranging from start-ups to major corporates, with worldwide advisory and regulatory insights.
Martin Stewart is an adviser to banks, regulators and international financial institutions on risk and regulatory policy; a Visiting Professor at The London Institute of Banking & Finance; a non-executive director and chair of the board risk committee at Coventry Building Society and a non-executive director and the senior independent director at Danske Bank UK.
From 2013 to 2018 he was Director of Supervision - Banks, Building Societies and Credit Unions at the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and chairman of the International Credit Union Regulators Network (ICURN) the world body of regulators of credit unions, mutuals and financial co-operatives.
Expertise
Board governance, strategy, regulation
Experience
Coventry Building Society, Non-Executive Director & Chair of Board Risk Committee: 2018 – present
Clayton Stewart, Managing Director – Regulatory & Strategy Consultancy: 2018 – present
Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority, Director UK Banks, Building Societies & Credit Unions: 2013–18
ICURN (Board of World Regulators of Mutuals), Chairman: 2013–18
Financial Service Authority, Head of UK Banks & Mutuals: 2010–13
IFG Group, Asset Management, Financial and Tax Advisory Businesses, European Managing Director: 2006–10
Clayton Stewart, Managing Director, Regulatory & Strategy Consultancy: 2005–06
Yorkshire Building Society (YBS), Retail & Group Board Member: 1999–2005
Yorkshire Building Society (YBS), Head of Lending & Investment Services: 1995–99
Yorkshire Building Society (YBS), Head of Corporate Projects: 1994–95
PA Consulting Group, Business Strategy Consultant: 1990–94
Education
MEng, Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, University of London: 1990
Consulting
With PA Consulting Group, Martin advised on business strategy to banks, building societies and life and general insurers in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
In his own consultancy business, Martin advised Boards/CEOs/MDs and executive teams on regulatory policy and business strategy. Clients included UK and European financial services businesses and suppliers. Currently:
- Retained Board Adviser to a new UK fintech bank
- Retained Board Adviser to a mid-tier UK bank
- an adviser to an overseas investment bank financing new start mortgage lenders.
He was the architect of Yorkshire Building Society’s Corporate Strategy in 1995 to remain as a mutual and not to follow the market trend of building societies converting to banks.
He led the development of Yorkshire Building Society’s distribution strategy for the new Millennium – integrating branches, telephony and the internet through the existing brand – and challenging the convention at that time for launching newly branded internet businesses.
Martin was the architect of the UK’s regulatory strategy to create greater diversity in banking, leading to numerous fintech banks entering the market and the growth of challenger banks.
He was a member of the leadership team that defined and implemented the UK’s post financial crisis banking regulatory regime that now underpins the work of the Prudential Regulation Authority within the Bank of England.
Awards
British Gas Scholar, Masters in Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, University of London
External recognition
As chairman of ICURN (Board of World Regulators of Mutuals), Martin steered the development and publication of Guiding Principles of Supervision, to define best practice for regulators across the globe. These were subsequently adopted by the IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Regular speaker on post-financial crisis regulatory reform