Hampden & Co founder rejoins Edinburgh private bank as chairman of the board

Hampden & Co has appointed Simon Miller as chairman of the board in a move that sees the finance veteran rejoin the venture he co-founded ten years ago.

Simon Miller helped to establish the Edinburgh-headquartered private bank Hampden & Co under its original name, Scoban, in 2010.

Miller, who helped to establish the Edinburgh-headquartered private bank under its original name, Scoban, in 2010, will replace Alex Hammond-Chambers in the role.

A Cambridge University graduate and barrister at law, Miller has served as Brewin Dolphin chairman since 2013, overseeing a period of sustained growth at the wealth manager, and is currently non-executive chairman at Blackrock North American Income and senior independent director at London-listed STV Group.

His career has included 18 years as a non-executive director with private bank Adam & Company and 20 years as executive chairman of Dunedin Capital.

Hammond-Chambers will also step down from his role as director with the lender.

Chief executive Graeme Hartop said: “Having Simon back on board is testament to our ambition and outlook.

“Simon is a much respected chairman and non-executive director who brings extensive experience from the financial and private banking sectors, including as a co-founder of Hampden & Co a decade ago, to help guide the bank’s next phase of growth.”

Miller added: “In a few short years Hampden has steadily built its reputation and is now one of the most exciting players on the private banking scene. The future looks bright for the business.”

Hampden & Co, which is set to report its 2019 annual results later this month, also announced that Finlay Williamson will join the board as a non-executive director and chairman of the audit committee.

Williamson – a qualified chartered accountant – is a former divisional finance director, head of internal audit, and head of mergers and acquisitions at Royal Bank of Scotland group.

He joined Virgin Money as chief financial officer in 2009, supporting the challenger bank through the acquisition of Northern Rock and its path to floating on the stock exchange.

Williamson is currently chairman of the risk and compliance committee and member of the audit committee at Paragon.

Hartop said: “Finlay’s retail banking and regulatory expertise and track record of supporting strategic growth at a number of leading brands in the UK financial sector makes him an excellent fit for Hampden & Co.”

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