OakNorth Bank to appoint Rajesh Gupta as the new CFO

By Megha Bhattacharya

OakNorth Bank today announced the appointment of Rajesh Gupta as the new CFO, pending regulatory approval. Rajesh will be taking over from Cristina Alba Ochoa, who joined the Bank as its CFO in 2017. Cristina will remain CFO until Rajesh joins and will continue at OakNorth indefinitely, in a different role. Rajesh will be responsible for ensuring the Bank to maintain its track record and accelerate its COVID-19 recovery.

Rajesh Gupta added, “…In a relatively short time, OakNorth Bank has grown into what is arguably the most successful new bank in the UK and the fastest-growing businesses in Europe. I have been very impressed by the passion and energy of the people I have met at OakNorth – this is a great strength. Rishi and Joel established the bank to provide financing to the underserved sectors of the SME space, and in the wake of the COVID pandemic, this proposition is now all the more critical.”

Recently, Rajesh held the CFO position at non-bank mortgage lender Kensington Mortgages, overseeing the finance function during a period of significant transformation and growth. He held senior executive positions at General Electric, including CFO of GE Capital Bank UK, CFO for GE Money Bank in the Czech Republic, and Head of Financial Planning and Analysis for the EMEA Region.

Rishi Khosla, CEO and co-founder of OakNorth Bank said, “Rajesh has a wealth of CFO experience, leading institutions with assets up to 10 times that of OakNorth Bank. In the five years since we launched, OakNorth Bank has lent over £4.5bn to hundreds of businesses across the UK, directly contributing to the creation of tens of thousands of new homes and jobs across the country. However, we aim to have a much larger impact in the years to come, so it is essential that we continue strengthening our leadership team. We’re excited to have Rajesh on board and look forward to welcoming him in the coming months.”