Metro Bank, the revolutionary high street bank, today announces the appointment of Roger Farah to its board as non-executive director.
As previous President and Chief Operating Officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation, Roger grew the company’s market value from $1.2 billion to $18 billion, with the company represented in over 80 countries and employing more than 26,000 individuals worldwide. He is currently Executive Vice Chairman of Ralph Lauren Corporation, and has been a member of the company’s Board of Directors since 2000. In his role, Roger oversees the development and execution of Ralph Lauren’s strategic growth and operating initiatives on a global scale.
A world class retailer, Roger served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Footlocker Inc from 1994 to 2000. Prior to that he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Macy’s Inc, Chairman and CEO of Federated Merchandising Services and Chairman and CEO of Rich’s Department Stores. He has also held Executive positions at Saks Fifth Avenue including Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager. Roger is also on the Board of Directors of Aetna, Inc. and Progressive Corporation, and is a member of the Executive Committee for the National Retail Federation.
Vernon Hill, Chairman, Metro Bank commented: “We’re extremely proud to appoint Roger Farah to the Metro Bank board. Roger’s experience of providing products and services tailored to his customers’ needs, complements Metro Bank’s strategy of putting the customer at the heart of everything we do. His extensive knowledge of the retail sector and of high growth retailing, will be invaluable to Metro Bank as we continue to grow and revolutionise British banking.”
Commenting on his appointment, Roger Farah said: “I’ve watched and followed Metro Bank’s growth in the UK market since it launched in 2010. It’s refreshing to see a British bank place such high importance on its customers, and this is something that I can strongly relate to as a retailer. Metro Bank’s strong growth model closely resembles that of many successful retailers, and I look forward to providing hands-on support and experience to the board and leadership team as Metro Bank continues to grow.”
Metro Bank’s other non-executive directors are:
- Lord Howard Flight, Founder of Guinness Flight Asset Management
- Luke Johnson, Chairman of Risk Capital Partners
- Eugene Lockhart, former CEO of Midland Bank and MasterCard International and former President, Global Retail Banking at Bank of America
- Stuart Bernau, former Retail Director at Nationwide Building Society
- Ben Gunn, former Chief Executive of Friends Provident Life & Pensions
- Keith Carby, Co-founder of J. Rothschild Assurance
- James Reuben, Residential and commercial property specialist
- Vernon Hill, Founder of Metro Bank and Commerce Bank
Metro Bank launched in July 2010 with a focus on providing unparalleled levels of service and convenience to customers. It now has more than 280,000 business and personal customer accounts, and is shortly to open its 26th store in Epsom. Store expansion across London and the South East remains central to its growth plans, with up to 12 new stores planned for 2014, and an additional 500 jobs to be created.