Benny Higgins

BENNY HIGGINS

Benny began his career at Standard Life in 1983 where he joined as an actuarial student and became a member of the Standard Life Group Executive in 1996. In 1997, he moved to RBS to become Chief Executive of Retail Banking.  He was with RBS until 2005, during which time he led the successful integration of NatWest Retail Banking - one of the largest mergers ever undertaken in UK banking. He became Chief Executive Officer of the Retail Business of HBOS plc in 2006 before joining Tesco Bank as Chief Executive in 2008.

Under Benny's leadership, Tesco Bank has grown to become one of the most established 'new' banks in the UK, serving more than 6 million customers and employing 4,000 people in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. With the launch of the Tesco Bank current account in June of 2014, the Bank now offers a full range of core retail banking and insurance products.

Benny holds a First Class Honours degree in Mathematics from the University of Glasgow and became a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries in 1986 after qualifying in a then record 2.5 years. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, a member of the Scottish Government's Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB) and a member of the Financial Capability Board.

In September 2017 he was asked by the First Minister of Scotland to lead the proposal for the creation of a Scottish National Investment Bank.