Atom bank expands technology leadership team with key appointments

Atom bank, the UK’s top rated bank on Trustpilot, has announced several key appointments in its technology senior leadership team, with a series of strategic changes and promotions designed to accelerate product launches and enhance delivery capabilities.

The new structure, which sees nine internal promotions, reflects the bank’s commitment to nurturing talent and comes as part of significant investment across the business to ensure the right tools and resources are allocated for rapid growth, building on a 25% increase in change velocity last year.

A key focus of the reorganisation is on delivery and capability as Atom expands its savings franchise. Three new value stream-aligned leadership roles have been established and are directly accountable for product delivery as Atom looks to launch a host of new savings products.

• Ges Richmond has been appointed Head of Lending Delivery, having been at Atom for five years.
• A new Head of Savings Delivery role has been filled by Orla Codyre, who has been with Atom for two years.
• A new Head of Platform and Enterprise Delivery role has been filled by Kath Langlands after two years with the bank.

Complementing these roles are three senior technology positions, broadly delivering “how” things are done within the delivery teams. This includes ensuring teams are as efficient as possible, hiring the best talent and looking at innovative ways to improve standards across the department.

• Rob Smith has been appointed Head of Engineering having spent four years at Atom.
• Rob Butcher has been appointed Head of Architecture after three years as an Enterprise Architect.
• Faizah Rafique has been appointed Head of Business Analysis, having been with the business for six years.

James Kerruish has been appointed CISO and Head of Service. Providing critical support, the InfoSec and Service teams span across all disciplines and delivery roles. James, who has been with the bank over eight years, will lead this function, responsible for cyber security, safe change implementation, incident management, and the service desk which is the central hub for technical support.

A new Chief of Staff role has been created, with Leanne Judge appointed to the position. Having been with the bank for 10 years, she will focus on improving the effectiveness and alignment of the entire Technology organisation, overseeing the Delivery Coaching team.

Finally, Dr Russell Collingham and his newly formed AI and Data Science team will continue their focus on developing and deploying AI across the bank, leveraging its potential to improve decision making, speed up analysis and provide direct support to customers, as Atom bank continues to scale its cost efficient business model. Russell has been at Atom over 3 years and moves from the role of Lead Enterprise Architect. He previously spent 11 years at the University of Durham where he gained a BSc in Computer Science and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence before moving into research and lecturing.

Andy Sturrock, Chief Technology Officer at Atom, commented on the appointments: “I’m delighted to have such a strong and capable leadership team in place. Their collective expertise will be vital as we continue to increase our velocity and invest in our technology stack to better support the business. I’m confident that with this new structure, we are in a fantastic position to achieve our ambitious goals.

“Our mission at Atom Bank has always been to build a bank that can challenge the status quo, and a huge part of that is nurturing the incredible talent we have within our teams. It’s incredibly rewarding to see so many experienced colleagues, who have been with us for many years, grow and step into new leadership roles through internal promotions. This commitment to developing our people from within is fundamental to our strategy, ensuring we attract the brightest and best young talent, particularly as we move to our new HQ in Newcastle. We believe in providing a clear path for development, allowing our people to build long-term careers and truly shape the future of banking with us.”

ENDS

For Atom

Jen Shepherd, jen.shepherd@atombank.co.uk

About Atom bank

Atom bank is the UK’s highest rated bank, savings bank and mortgage lender on Trustpilot, and is on a mission to make the experience of borrowing and saving faster, simpler and better value than anyone else. The bank launched operations in April 2016 as the UK’s first app-based bank, and offers award-winning mortgages and savings through its app, alongside secured business lending for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Based in the North East of England with a team of over 550 people, Atom is here to ​​change banking for the good, for the better, and for everyone. This means focusing on customers’ needs, delivering better value than the incumbents, providing an exceptional app-based experience and offering award-winning customer support via phone, chat, email and social channels. The bank has some of the best customer service credentials in the UK, having achieved 5-star ratings on both the iOS and Android App Stores, and on Trustpilot, whilst consistently delivering Net Promoter Scores (NPS) in the high 80s.

Based in Durham, Atom is an engaged and active member of the North East Community. In 2022 Atom signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with Durham University to progress key research and diversity initiatives. The region has one of the highest levels of youth unemployment in the UK and Atom is passionate about addressing the critical digital skills gap and helping develop young people and other groups that are under-represented within the industry. In 2024, Atom purchased 25 acres of newly planted broadleaf woodland in Northumberland to sequester 7000 tonnes of carbon, which will account for all its operational emissions since founding. This forms part of the bank’s pledge to be climate positive by 2035, becoming the first UK bank to make this commitment.

As of November 2021, all employees enjoy a four-day working week, after Atom became the largest company - and only bank - in Britain to introduce the policy for all employees, with no reduction in salary.

The Atom executive team are highly experienced, having built and run some of the most well-respected banks in the UK. CEO Mark Mullen has 30 years’ experience in the sector and was previously CEO at the multi- award-winning telephone and internet bank first direct. The team is supported by a strong non-exec board, chaired by Lee Rochford.