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Catherine has more than 20 years of banking experience at Santander, TSB and most recently the Co-operative Bank. During her career, she has held several senior leadership positions including Commercial Director for Business Banking, Managing Director of SME and Chief People and Sustainability Officer. In her new role at Unity, Catherine will be responsible for delivering the bank’s five-year commercial growth strategy, putting the customer at the heart of all key decisions alongside a focus on creating positive social impact. For over 40 years, Unity has offered a full range of business banking services and only uses customer deposits to lend to organisations that improve local communities in sectors such as healthcare, education, social housing, charities and SMEs. Commenting on her appointment, Catherine said: “I was attracted to Unity because of what the bank stands for – the changes it wants to make in society and its ‘double bottom line’ strategy of delivering ethical, values-driven impact as well as financial returns. “My focus will be on our customers and their experiences, and I will represent them at every meeting and interaction I have internally. “Unity understands small businesses and organisations and what drives impact in society. While digital technology has an important part to play in banking, the human element is very important too. “As a smaller, specialist bank, our customers’ voice is important to us. We have a nationwide team of experienced relationships managers to ensure that our lending customers get the support they need, and when we build new products, we make sure they’re the right fit for our customers.” Colin Fyfe, CEO at Unity Trust Bank, said: “As a social impact bank, our mission is to create a better society. “We have a clear strategy for growth and Catherine will strengthen our executive team and help to deliver on our ambitions “She is an experienced commercial leader, and we are very pleased to welcome her to Unity.”
