RBS: People Power
Last month, small businesses in Brighton and Hove gathered for an evening of networking at the RBS bank branch in Castle Square. Around 40 business owners and leaders got together with local branch staff and relationship managers to discuss their businesses, and share experiences and opportunities with others in the area. Customers also heard how part of the bank, including Brighton and Hove branches, is in the process of being separated from RBS to create Williams & Glyn*, a new bank for UK personal and business customers with a particular strength in supporting small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The evening – the hottest of the year so far! – drew its theme from Wimbledon, with strawberries and cream on the menu. John Maltby, Chief Executive of the future Williams & Glyn, attended the event alongside local branch staff to talk to business owners about what they would expect and want from the new bank. Maltby shared his vision for Williams & Glyn, which will operate entirely independently of RBS by the end of 2017, as a people-powered bank with a strong community presence. He said: “It’s a complex task and we’re taking the time to get it right for customers. We’re working to give the bank all the tools it will need to succeed when it separates fully from RBS. When it returns to the high street, we hope Williams & Glyn will play an important role in the UK banking sector by increasing choice and competition.”
Feedback from business leaders who attended the event has been very positive – Andy Lang, Managing Director of Languard Alarms said: “I would like to say thank you to the Brighton branch for hosting a networking evening at Castle Square. It was a chance to meet the staff, who were all very friendly and happy to advise and answer any questions. It was also nice to spend time networking with other clients, most of whom were business owners or managers. I exchanged business cards with quite a few guests, and as they say, “it’s all about building relationships”! Thanks also to Richard Willis (Relationship Manager) for the invitation, and for his ongoing support and advice year on year.”
Branch Manager, Jo Menzies, spoke of the buzz following the event: “We’re really pleased and encouraged by the feedback we’ve had; it lets customers speak to us in a less formal setting, and the response from Andy Lang shows how quickly it can also evolve into customer-to-customer networking, with positive outcomes! We’ll definitely do another event later in the year.”
* Did you know? – Williams & Glyn is a brand name with a good heritage in UK banking, and it will provide retail and business banking services to customers via its network of 300 branches around the country, as well as through online, telephone and mobile banking services. By re-kindling the Williams & Glyn name, Maltby and his team will place the same values at the core of the bank that earned the trust of customers almost 300 years ago.
