Anne Boden
Born 1960 · Age 65
Welsh tech entrepreneur; founder and former CEO of Starling Bank; first woman to found a British bank; MBE for services to financial technology.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth
Born in Bon-y-maen, Swansea, Wales, daughter of a steelworker and a department store worker.
Attended Cefn Hengoed Comprehensive (approximate start)
Attended local comprehensive school in Swansea. (education prior to university)
Completed secondary education (approx.)
Finished sixth-form/school before entering Swansea University.
Enrolled at Swansea University
Began BSc joint honours in Chemistry & Computer Science at Swansea University.
Graduated Swansea University BSc
Graduated with a BSc (Joint Hons) in Chemistry & Computer Science (Class of 1981).
Joined Lloyds Banking Group as graduate trainee
Accepted a graduate trainee role at Lloyds Banking Group in the computer department; early career shift from intended pure IT path to banking-IT.
Programme Manager at Lloyds (1981–1985)
Worked on banking computer systems and processes, early IT banking experience.
Joined Standard Chartered Bank
Became Head of Systems & Process, UK Corporate Banking at Standard Chartered (role later dated to 1985–1990).
MBA, Middlesex University (studied while working)
Completed an MBA at Middlesex University; dissertation on relationship banking at an international bank; earned MBA in 1990.
Completed MBA, Middlesex University
Awarded MBA while working for Standard Chartered.
Joined PwC Management Consulting
Took role as Supervising Consultant in PwC's Financial Services division (1990–1993).
Joined UBS as Vice President
Worked in Corporate and Institutional Banking, Europe at UBS (1993–1998).
Joined Aon Ltd as Director & Chief Information Officer
Served as Director and CIO at Aon Ltd (1998–2005), overseeing technology and systems.
Joined ABN AMRO as Executive VP Europe
Executive Vice President, Transaction Banking (Payments, Liquidity, Trade) at ABN AMRO (2006–2009).
Joined Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS)
Served as Head of EMEA and Head of Global Transaction Banking, running a payments business across 34 countries (2009–2011).
Member, Board of Governors, Middlesex University
Served on Middlesex University's Board of Governors (2011–2012).
Joined Allied Irish Banks as Chief Operating Officer
Appointed COO to help AIB recover in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis (joined 2012; served until Dec 2013).
Sold Swansea weekend house to raise funds for her company
After the financial crisis, sold her house in Swansea to raise funds and hire staff while building her bank.
Founded Possible Financial Services (later Starling Bank)
Founded an online-only bank originally named Possible Financial Services, tagline 'Bank Possible'.
Co-founder Tom Blomfield departed
Co-founder Tom Blomfield left in Feb 2015 to found Monzo; four other directors also departed.
Rebranded to Starling Bank
Company rebranded from Possible Financial Services to Starling Bank (Jan 2016).
Received UK banking licence
Starling received its banking licence in the UK (reported 14 July 2016).
Appointed MBE in Queen's Birthday Honours
Received an MBE for services to financial technology (2018).
Awarded honorary doctorate by Middlesex University
Middlesex University awarded her an honorary doctorate (July 2018).
Featured in Forbes: World's Top 50 Women in Tech
Recognised by Forbes among top women in technology (Dec 2018).
Lost majority shareholding
After large investments (notably McPike), Boden lost majority shareholder position (reported July 2019).
Series C / major investment (Feb 2019)
Large investment round in which Austrian-born billionaire Harald McPike invested heavily; later reporting shows McPike invested £75m to date for a 60% stake. This round reduced Boden's majority control.
Published The Money Revolution
Published practical guide 'The Money Revolution: Easy Ways to Manage Your Finances in a Digital World' (June 2019).
Reported cumulative fundraising £233m
As of July 2019 Starling had raised £233 million in investment; Merian Global Investors held a £50m share.
Launched Starling Connected card and Coronavirus Support Scheme
Introduced Connected card for trusted shoppers and a three-month interest holiday on the first £500 of arranged overdrafts for customers impacted by COVID-19.
Starling surpassed 1,000,000 customers (approx.)
During/after the lockdown Starling reported having over one million customers; company continued rapid growth.
Named Digital Masters Awards: CEO of the Year
Won CEO of the Year at the Digital Masters Awards (2020).
Starling accreditation for CBILS and Bounce Back Loans (COVID-19 response)
During the COVID-19 pandemic Starling became accredited to lend under the British Business Bank's CBILS; launched processes for Bounce Back Loans; enabled SMEs to receive funds within hours/days.
Published 'Banking On It'
Released memoir 'Banking On It: How I Disrupted an Industry' (Nov 2021 is the publication date across sources; some sources list 2020/2021—using 2021 where reported). Note: multiple sources reference this book in late 2020–2021 timeframe.
Starling Bank continued product & operational growth
Ongoing daily app feature updates, expansion of business banking products and lender services; Starling scaled operations after pandemic response.
Reported Starling valuation and recognition
Starling widely reported as a leading challenger bank; some profiles cite a valuation around £2.5 billion by 2022 and multiple 'Best British Bank' awards (three years running in some sources).
Appointed to Prime Minister's Business Council
Joined the UK Prime Minister's Business Council (Feb 2022).
Starling reported pre-tax profit for year ending Mar 31, 2022
Starling became the first challenger bank to produce a pre-tax profit: £32.1 million for the year ending 31 March 2022; revenues reported £188 million.
Appointed Chair, Women-led High-Growth Enterprise Taskforce
Became chair of the UK government's taskforce to identify barriers facing female entrepreneurs and recommend strategies (appointed July 2022).
Honored: Honorary Master of Science (London Institute of Banking & Finance)
Awarded an honorary MSc by the London Institute of Banking and Finance (Oct 2022).
Starling customer base growth reported
Profiles report Starling serving multiple millions of customers (some sources report 3+ million customers by 2023).
Starling pre-tax profit leap for year ending Mar 31, 2023
Reported pre-tax profit of £195 million on revenues of £453 million for year ending 31 March 2023 (reported in later summaries).
Stepped down as Starling CEO
Resigned as CEO in June 2023 after investor clashes; retained a 4.9% ownership stake in Starling at that time.
Founded AI By Boden and BodenOffice.com (family office)
After stepping down as CEO, focused on a new AI venture (AI By Boden) and launched a family office (BodenOffice.com) to invest and pursue technology initiatives (reported 2023).
Awarded Honorary Doctorate by Swansea University
Swansea University conferred an honorary doctorate in recognition of her achievements (July 2023).
Published 'Female Founders' Playbook'
Published 'Female Founders' Playbook' (March 2024) compiling insights and advice for women entrepreneurs.
Starling reported pre-tax profit and revenues for FY to Mar 2024
Media reports cite Starling pre-tax profit of £301.1m (year ending March 2024) and continued revenue growth as of March 2024.
Resigned from Starling board to focus on AI
Stepped down from Starling's board in July 2024 to concentrate on developing AI By Boden.
Profiled as transitioning from banking to AI
Media coverage (Sept 2024) describes Boden leaving Starling to pursue AI and healthtech investments and focusing on scaling a small portfolio of companies via her family office.
Ongoing advisory and public roles
Continues to hold advisory and public roles historically: member World Economic Forum, previously on UK Finance board, advisor to Board of Trade, and other government advisory positions.
Keynote, Royal Society Labs to Riches Dinner
Delivered keynote address at the Royal Society 'Labs to Riches' dinner (May 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
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