NatWest Merged Data, AI and Engineering Into One Function — and Found Who'll Run It

British bank NatWest has announced the appointment of Triona O'Keeffe as Chief Data and Analytics Officer — she'll lead a new division bringing the bank's data, AI and engineering capabilities together under one function. O'Keeffe joins NatWest in January 2027 and will report to Group CIO Scott Marcar.

O'Keeffe currently serves as CIO for Data & Analytics at the London Stock Exchange Group, and previously held the CIO role at Direct Line Group and senior leadership positions at Deutsche Bank.

“Triona brings a depth of expertise across technology and financial services, which will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our technology foundations and scale our use of data and AI.”

— Scott Marcar, Group CIO, NatWest

“I'm excited to join NatWest at such a pivotal time and help unlock the full potential of data, AI and engineering for customers.”

— Triona O'Keeffe

According to the bank, merging data, AI and engineering into one function is meant to establish clearer accountability, speed up the move from insight to delivery, enable more personalized services, and strengthen customer relationships. NatWest isn't the only major bank restructuring along these lines right now: former Barclays CEO Bob Diamond has already argued that big banks are investing more in innovation than anyone else at the moment. More detail on the appointment is available via NatWest Group.

Nothing here should be taken as financial advice — just information to consider.