Anne Boden began a forty-year career in banking after graduating from Swansea University with a computer science degree. After the financial crisis of 2008, she became concerned about banks’ relationships with customers and came up with an idea for a new bank that was fair to customers, free to use, uses the best technology and is profitable. Anne had to sell her home in Swansea to help pay bills before investors backed her idea, which was two years into the project!
Anne wanted Starling to take on the big banks and win market share, but nobody thought it would be possible! Today Starling has over 3 million customers, and over 200 members of staff across 4 offices in Cardiff, London, Southampton and Dublin, and is worth £2.5bn. Starling offers personal and business banking online with no branches and 24/7 customer support.
Anne was well-aware that a 5ft Welsh woman in her 50s was not the usual start-up founder – and those preconceptions placed further hurdles in her path. However, Anne hopes that the sexism she overcame can help other women.
“I started a bank and it’s one of the leaders in the world in financial tech. It can be done.” – Anne Boden
