Starling, Chief Marketing Officer
Company background
Starling Bank is one of the UK’s most successful digital banks, combining a full banking licence with proprietary technology to deliver a differentiated, customer-first financial experience. Founded in 2014, the business has scaled rapidly to over 3.6 million customers. With strong adoption across both retail and SME segments, and a growing SaaS proposition through its Engine platform, Starling is widely regarded as one of the most advanced and trusted fintech brands in Europe.
The approach
The Up Group was engaged to appoint a Chief Marketing Officer to partner with the incoming CEO and leadership team as Starling entered its next phase of growth. The brief required a rare combination of brand leadership, product sensibility and data-driven marketing expertise to evolve one of the UK’s most loved brands into a scaled, multi-product platform. The search was highly targeted, engaging a diverse, high-calibre pool across global consumer tech, fintech and marketplace businesses, with a particular focus on leaders experienced in scaling complex, digital-first brands.
The impact
The search concluded with the appointment of Michele Rousseau, bringing world-class experience from Apple and Expedia where she led large-scale global marketing transformations. Michele’s track record in building and scaling marketing organisations, unifying complex brand portfolios and driving customer-centric growth positioned her as an ideal fit for Starling’s ambitions. Her leadership equips Starling to further strengthen its brand, deepen customer engagement and expand into new markets, supporting its evolution into a global, multi-product financial platform.
