Nationwide has appointed Hannah Bernard OBE as Group Director of Business Banking, effective January 2026.
Hannah was Head of Business Banking at Barclays UK, where she had responsibility for the profitable performance, growth, and future strategy of business banking. She previously held positions as Deputy CEO at Sainsbury’s Bank and Director of Customer Experience at Sainsbury’s Supermarkets.
Hannah is also recognised for her work supporting female entrepreneurs. In 2024, she was appointed by the UK Government as co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce, which addresses the investment funding gap for female founders.
Hannah will lead Nationwide’s business banking strategy, which will bring the benefits of its mutual model to businesses across the UK.
Nationwide became the first large-scale mutual to offer business banking following its acquisition of Virgin Money in 2024.
Dame Debbie Crosbie DBE, Group Chief Executive Officer, Nationwide Building Society, said: “We intend to bring the same customer focus to business banking that Nationwide has been so successful with in retail banking. Hannah’s commercial acumen, customer-first approach and experience means we can quickly bring the benefits of mutuality at scale to business banking for the first time in the UK.”
Hannah Bernard OBE said: “Nationwide is one of the strongest brands in the UK and its customer service is industry leading. I’m looking forward to combining these strengths into a strategy for business banking that is distinctive in the UK and realises the potential of the Virgin Money acquisition.”
