#147 Benny Higgins - Ex-Bank CEO on Power, Money, Art & What Really Matters

Benny Higgins is a Scottish Banker and Former CEO of RBS, Bank of Scotland and Tesco Bank. He is also the chairman of a portfolio of companies. He's a lover of Art and Poetry. He is also my good friend.

Benny Higgins grew up in Toryglen tower blocks, captained Celtic’s youth team, and became a defining force in modern Scottish business — from CEO of RBS during the NatWest takeover, to building Tesco Bank from the ground up. But what makes Benny different is the paradox: a numbers man with a lifelong devotion to poetry, art, and culture — and a Glaswegian accent that never moved an inch.

We recorded this in Kelvingrove Art Gallery, a place that shaped Benny as a 10-year-old at his first ever art competition — and still represents the thread running through his life: curiosity, pride, and the desire to win.

We get into Celtic, class, and leadership… the reality of boardrooms at scale… why he hires through trust over “perfect CVs”… and the stories you genuinely couldn’t script: Maya Angelou, the Golden Globes, Soho, and a cocktail named after his fifth wife Sharon.

• Why Kelvingrove is symbolic to Benny’s origin story

• Toryglen tower blocks: toughness, community, and confidence through football

• Celtic youth captaincy and the first leadership lessons that stuck

• “I just wanted to win”: the mindset behind academic dominance

• Actuarial exams in 2.5 years (when the average was ~7)

• RBS context + how the NatWest hostile takeover happened

• Building Tesco Bank from scratch: 140 people → 5,000 → 8m customers

• Hiring “the best people I knew” and why trust beats process

• Social mobility: money, identity, and why he treats everyone the same

• Soho stories: tailors, members clubs, and the “Higgins No.5” cocktail

• The Golden Globes: Jon Hamm photo… taken by Bradley Cooper

• Lunch with Maya Angelou: poetry, Burns, and an unforgettable moment

• What people think is true about him (but isn’t)

• What’s next — and the ambition that still drives him

Guest

Benny Higgins — former senior leader at RBS, creator of Tesco Bank, chair/board roles across culture and business.

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