NatWest Group PLC (LSE:NWG) has confirmed that Rick Haythornthwaite, the former MasterCard boss, has been appointed as its new chair succeeding Sir Howard Davies.
Haythornthwaite will join NatWest board as an independent non-executive director on January 8, 2024, and take over as chair on April 15, 2024, when Sir Howard Davies stands down from the board.
Mark Seligman, senior independent director, said: "After careful consideration of a number of high-quality candidates, the board has unanimously chosen Rick as our new Chair."
He said he was a "highly experienced Chair who combines a successful commercial career with a deep knowledge of financial services markets and technology, as well as a strong track record of delivery at significant customer-facing organisations."
Haythornthwaite said: "It is a privilege to assume the role of NatWest Group Chair."
Haythornthwaite is chair of Ocado Group and a non-executive director of NYSE-listed Globant SA.
He will step down as a director of Globant and from his private company directorships apart from the AA where he will become a non-executive director.
Haythornthwaite was also formerly chair of companies including Centrica and Network Rail.
NatWest, which remains nearly 40%-owned by the taxpayer, has endured a torrid few weeks over the closure of Farage's Coutts accounts which saw the then chief executive, Alison Rose, resign after she briefed a BBC journalist that the accounts had been shut for commercial reasons, prompting the publication of an inaccurate story.