Published: January 17, 2019
HSBC has made a trio of hires to its global digital team, with the bank bringing in three executives from outside the financial sector as it looks to press further into retail banking technology.
The bank has hired Jesper With-Fogstrup as global head of digital as a channel, Kate Simon as global head of commercialisation and Phil Fearnley as head of strategic and organisational development.
All three hires come from outside the banking sector. With-Fogstrup was most recently chief operating officer of price comparison website ComparetheMarket.com and has also held executive roles in the online travel sector.
Simon was most recently at The Walt Disney Company where she had global responsibility for growth strategies and business performance of children’s streaming service DisneyLife, and has worked at a range of retail companies such as Majestic Wine, Dixons Carphone and Blinkbox Entertainment Group.
Meanwhile, Fearnley was digital director at the BBC, and lead the development of the original iPlayer web streaming platform, as well as launching mobile apps for BBC News, sport, weather and Children’s BBC.
“We need a team as diverse as the customers we serve and bringing in people from different backgrounds brings with it diversity of thought and ways of working,” Josh Bottomley, global head of digital data and development in HSBC’s retail banking and wealth management division, told EMEA Finance. “There are many lessons we can take from different industries and apply these to financial services. Increasingly our customers expect the same kinds of experience from their bank as they receive from other areas of their lives such as travel, retail and media.”
All three hires will be based in the UK and will report to Bottomley.
“Customers love their phones”
In his new role, With-Fogstrup will be responsible for delivering business and customer growth through digital experiences,