Alba Bank appoints Jonathan Thompson as acting CEO

Jonathan Thompson takes over role from Rod Ashley who is stepping down after six years at Alba Bank

Alba Bank, a fintech dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), has appointed Jonathan Thompson as acting chief executive officer.  

Rod Ashley is stepping down after six years in the role. Scotland-based Alba was founded in 2018.  

Thompson will “lead the business over the next critical phase”, bringing SME banking experience, including at Laeceum, a consulting firm for SMEs in financial services, to the role. 

Alba provides lending and savings facilities to SMEs through its digital model, to help UK-based businesses to grow. It has a UK banking license but is not yet open to trade as it’s still preparing for full regulatory approval to take deposits and start lending.  

The bank also welcomed Dominic Wade as chief financial officer from Unity Trust, where he held the same role.  

On his new role, Thompson said: “I am delighted to take the reins at Alba and lead the bank through this next critical phase. It is great to have someone of Dom’s calibre alongside me as we take the business forward.” 

Ashley commented: “I have enjoyed every moment of leading Alba from the early days but now is the right time to step aside.”  

Image: Alba Bank  

Josh Poyser Josh Poyser is an editor at FinTech Intel. He has written about fintech for several years and appeared at FinTech Connect 2023 on the 'Unlocking Success: The Art of Fintech PR' panel.