Raman Bhatia is Group Chief Executive Officer of Starling, the London, England, bank that reported its fifth straight profitable year in May 2026. He joined in 2024 after running the energy retailer OVO. "We are in the foothills of a huge opportunity," he said of the bank's next phase. Read our review of Starling Bank.
From HSBC's Digital Bank to OVO
Before OVO he was Head of Digital Bank for HSBC's Retail Banking and Wealth Management business in the UK and Europe and a member of its Executive Committee. That role covered HSBC, First Direct, and M&S Bank, according to Starling's announcement.
He then became chief executive of OVO, where, Starling says, he led the company's push into green and sustainable technology and campaigned for government support for customers during the energy and cost-of-living crisis.
Taking Over From an Interim Chief Executive
Starling announced his appointment on March 12, 2024. He took over from John Mountain, who had been acting as interim chief executive since founder Anne Boden stepped back from the role the year before. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a Trustee of Business in the Community.
"Starling is a company I have long admired because it believes passionately, like I do, in using the power of technology to do the right thing for its customers and its people," he said when the appointment was announced.
Returning the Bank to Growth
In the results for the year to March 2026, Starling said regulatory restrictions had moderated its ability to grow its UK customer base, and that small business account openings more than tripled in April compared with the same month a year earlier, according to the results announcement.
Under his leadership the group has also pushed Engine by Starling, its software platform for other banks. Engine signed a 10-year agreement with Tangerine, a subsidiary of Canada's Scotiabank, and then New Zealand's SBS Bank.
