NatWest Group has appointed Isabelle Girolami as Chief Executive Officer of its Commercial & Institutional (C&I) business, effective 1 January 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
Girolami currently leads Corporate & Institutional Banking at NatWest. She joined the bank in 2025 and has been involved in developing and delivering its strategy for customers including large corporates, financial institutions, funds and sponsors.
She will succeed Robert Begbie, who is moving to the roles of Executive Chair for Scotland and Senior Adviser to the Commercial & Institutional business. Begbie has spent more than 40 years at NatWest Group and has led the C&I division since March 2024.
Girolami will also join NatWest Group’s Executive Committee from 1 January 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
Before joining NatWest, Girolami was Chief Executive Officer of LCH Ltd, the London-based clearing house owned by the London Stock Exchange Group. She previously held senior international roles at Crédit Agricole CIB, Standard Chartered and BNP Paribas.
Her experience spans banking, global markets and financial market infrastructure, including leadership responsibilities across international financial services.
The announcement forms part of a wider leadership reshuffle within NatWest’s Commercial & Institutional and Markets businesses. Jonathan Peberdy, currently Chief Executive Officer of NatWest Markets, will become Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking within the ring-fenced bank. Walid Assaf, who joins from Crédit Agricole CIB, has been appointed to succeed Peberdy as Chief Executive Officer of NatWest Markets, subject to regulatory approval.
NatWest Group Chief Executive Paul Thwaite said the appointments would build on the existing foundations of the business as it moves into its next phase of growth.
Girolami said she looked forward to leading the division and supporting businesses of different sizes, from start-ups to large corporates and multinational companies.
NatWest supports more than 1.5 million business customers across the UK. The bank also reports that it provides banking services to one in five UK start-ups.
