Starling Group has announced four new members of its executive committee, with a focus on the bank’s legal, compliance, and people functions.

Catarina Abrantes-Steinberg has been appointed group chief people officer, subject to regulatory approval and succeeds Susanna Yallop, who left Starling at the end of April after five years in the role.

Abrantes-Steinberg joins Startling from Dojo, where she spent three years as chief people officer and saw the company through a period of hyper-growth.

She has also held leadership positions at Russell Reynolds Associates and Expedia.
Ian Cox joins as Starling’s new group head of internal audit, also subject to regulatory approval.

He has over 25 years in the financial services industry managing audit, risk, and governance.

In his new role, Cox will report to the board audit committee and will lead the internal audit function across the Group, supporting Starling’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and strong risk management.

Cox was group chief internal auditor at Network International, based in Dubai for over five years. He has also held roles at Barclays and AIG.

Monica Risam has been appointed group general counsel, succeeding Matt Newman. Risam is a dual-qualified US and UK lawyer with extensive experience in the financial services sector.

She joins Starling from the Lombard International Group, where she held the position of group general counsel & company secretary.

Risam has also held senior legal roles at Aviva and GE Capital and began her career at the international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Bernadette Smith has been promoted to chief compliance officer from her current role as deputy chief risk officer. In her new position, Smith will oversee all aspects of compliance for the bank.

She joined Starling in 2022 and has held various leadership positions within risk and compliance.

“These appointments reflect our unwavering commitment to building a world-class leadership team with deep expertise,” said Raman Bhatia, Starling Group chief executive. “Their combined experience will be instrumental as we prepare for the next phase of growth at Starling.”

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