The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) has presented an honorary Master of Science (Banking and Finance) award to Anne Boden, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Starling Bank, for her services to the finance sector.
The award was presented during LIBF’s 2022 Graduation Ceremony, held at London’s Guildhall in October.
Alex Fraser, Chief Executive of The London Institute of Banking & Finance said:
“A very successful career would have been enough for most people but not for Anne. She founded her own online bank in 2014 at a time when demand for speedier response times and good online services was growing.
“It wasn’t easy to build a truly disruptive product, while keeping a tight control on costs and satisfying bank regulators. It was hard enough to raise the cash, particularly as a woman. Yet, despite all these challenges, Starling has grown from strength to strength.
“Described as 'the Amazon of banking', Starling Bank has built a loyal customer-base over the past seven years. It has been called ‘the grown-up challenger’ and won best British bank four years running.
“Anne is a shining example of someone who has a clear purpose and the tenacity to see it through, despite all the challenges, and she is a very worthy recipient of this award.”
Anne Boden said:
“When I entered banking as a fresh undergraduate in 1981, little did I think that I would one day build a bank from scratch.
“This Masters degree marks the culmination of years of hard work, dedicated to disrupting the industry and making consumer banking fairer and smarter. To receive it from the LIBF – which is educating the next generation of disruptors – is truly an honour."
Anne Boden MBE, biography
After graduating from the University College of Swansea, Anne became a graduate trainee with Lloyds Banking Group. After four years she left became Head of Systems and Processes at Standard Chartered’s UK Corporate Bank. While at Standard Chartered she studied for her MBA at Middlesex University, which later awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in 2018.
Anne has held senior roles at UBS in Switzerland, Aon Corporation, RBS and Allied Irish Banks where she was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2012. In 2014, Anne founded Starling Bank which has a customer-base of 2.7 million users and over 350,000 small to medium sized businesses.
Anne was awarded an MBE for services to financial technology in 2018. She is a member of the board of UK Finance, and is an adviser to the UK government's Board of Trade and Member of the World Economic Forum. Her book Banking On It, was published in 2020.