Recognise Bank has appointed ex-Starling Bank chief operating officer Julian Sawyer as a non-executive director (NED).

In addition to Starling Bank, Sawyer brings a wealth of banking and fintech experience to the board at Recognise Bank, and his previous roles include CEO roles at Zodia Custody and Bitstamp.

Recently, Recognise Bank announced that it has grown its loan book to over £500m, whilst recently exceeding £600m in deposits.

Commenting on his appointment Sawyer says: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Simon and the board at Recognise Bank at such a pivotal time for the Bank. Recognise Bank is poised for its next phase of growth having grown by over 45% in the last 12 months. My experience in high growth companies will help to position Recognise Bank as the SME property lending Bank of choice.”

Recognise Bank chief executive Simon Bateman adds: “Bringing in someone of Julian’s calibre shows how far we have come as a Bank in such a relatively short space of time.”

“Fintech plays such an important part of any banks operational and strategic roadmap and so Julian’s detailed knowledge of this sector, will undoubtedly be key as we build our capabilities for our borrowers, savers and brokers and continue to lead as ‘The Decisive Bank’.”