Starling Bank has appointed Michele Rousseau as its first chief marketing officer as new CEO Raman Bhatia looks to make his mark on the business.  

Rousseau will be tasked with steering Starling Bank through its next phase of growth and enhancing its brand and reputation, as well as deepening customer relationships, acquisition, and sharpening the bank’s focus on small business customers and commercial market opportunities.  

While this is Starling’s first CMO hire, the business did have a chief growth officer in a marketing remit, Rachel Pollard, until 2021. The C-Suite has been without a marketer since then, with the function overseen by chief corporate affairs officer Alexandra Frean.

As its first CMO, Rousseau’s remit includes brand, creative, storytelling, product marketing, customer acquisition and retention. Rachel Kerrone, the bank’s brand and marketing director of seven years, will now report to Rousseau.

Rousseau joins Starling from Expedia Group, where she has been senior vice-president, global marketing and creative since 2021. Prior to this she spent 12 years at Apple, latterly as managing director of its marketing services business.  

“Michele’s exceptional track record in marketing makes her the ideal leader to elevate our brand and accelerate our market positioning,” says group CEO, Raman Bhatia. “Her strategic vision and passion for customer experience will be crucial to our continued expansion.” 

It might be a well-timed appointment, as Starling Bank faces struggles from an employee branding and reputation point of view.  

Last week, widespread reports circulated that employees had resigned from the business after Bhatia ordered staff back to the office for 10 days each month. Grumblings arose from a lack of desk space – 900 office seats for 3,000-plus employees – and a backtracking on flexibility.  

The business also suffered a blow to its reputation last month when the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined it £29m for “shockingly lax” financial crime controls.  

However, it has been a strong year in other areas. Earlier this year, the business reported its third year of profitability. It saw its profits before tax grow 54.7% year over year to £301.1m for the financial year ended 31 March 2024. 

In January, Starling launched a new brand platform ‘The Bank Built For You’, designed to demonstrate the bank is built around “real human needs”. The business’s marketing spend increased by around 20% versus the year prior to £35.99m. 

See this article at Marketing Week.