Founding the original challenger bank, with Anne Boden

Anne is the founder of Starling Bank, one of the UK’s challenger banks that serves its customers online rather than via high street branches. Anne studied computer science, and worked her way up through the banking industry before founding Starling.

'I came to the conclusion that banking was broken.'

After working at traditional banks like RBS, Lloyds and the Bank of Switzerland, Anne found the industry to be too inward-focused, and largely untouched by consumer tech. Although Starling is a tech-forward company, Anne is quick to point out that customers still get 24/7 phone support, and describes how many struggle with money, and what she sees as Starling’s role in helping people better manage their finances.

'The only thing that was different was the colour of the carpets.'

After speaking with lots of banks following her work with AIB in Ireland, Anne started talking to tech firms instead, and came to the conclusion that if she started from scratch, she could build something with a new way of relating to customers.

'I do all my emails myself.'

Graham and Anne get geeky about productivity, and email management in particular, with Anne revealing her system for processing incoming email in seconds.

'I built a team and lost them.'

Anne candidly recounts how a member of her team resigned, raised money and formed his own competing bank. She also describes working with people with differing personalities, and how she has tried to soften the relationship between the two companies.

'There aren’t any books about starting a bank.'

Employees at Starling don’t put on presentations for each other, or take undue risks. Anne describes how the Lean Startup methodology worked in the early stages, but how that model is challenged when starting-up in a heavily-regulated industry.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

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