Ella Keyes to join Ashman as Chief People Officer

Ashman, the bank being built to make better happen, has appointed Ella Keyes as Chief People Officer, as the business enters its next phase of development.

Ella has 20 years of HR experience, and is joining Ashman from building society, The Nottingham, where she was Deputy Chief People Officer. She has also held roles at other financial institutions and retail businesses such as, Totemic, National Sales Academy, Baines & Ernst and Phones4u. Ella has experience in growing businesses and is known in the industry for attracting great talent and working with leaders to create inclusive and supportive environments for teams to thrive.

In her role at Ashman, Ella will be focused on building further on the existing, highly experience team to attract more top talent into key hires and adding around 100 new roles over the next two years. Working closely with the CEO, James Leach, she will also be responsible for the internal engagement programmes at Ashman, where she believes having the right communication tools in place is vital for creating a great place to work.

James Leach, CEO, at Ashman, said: “I’m personally delighted to be welcoming Ella to Ashman. Our dedicated team of industry specialists has done a brilliant job of setting us up for business success and now with Ella’s focus on our people and growth, we really are set to ensure people come first at Ashman.”

Commentating on her role, Ella Keyes said: “Joining a business at this stage in its journey is something I’m energised by, and I can see great opportunities for me to really make a positive impact on the workforce. I am passionate about cultural fit, broadening the diversity lens of teams, social mobility and talent development. I’m looking forward to getting started!”

Headquartered in Birmingham, Ashman will be initially focused on lending to SMEs in the commercial real estate sector, while providing savers with competitive rates, and plans to make better banking possible.

This latest appointment comes as Ashman enters the next stage moving towards its launch.