- The UK government has appointed two “AI Champions” to lead the deployment of AI in financial services, aiming to boost growth, productivity, and investment while protecting consumers and maintaining system stability.
- About 75% of financial businesses in the UK are already using AI, a sharp increase from over 50% in recent years, indicating a very rapid adoption rate.
- Independent analysis estimates that AI could contribute tens of billions of pounds to the financial and professional services sector by 2030, equivalent to approximately $25–38 billion USD.
- The two appointees are Harriet Rees (Starling Bank) and Dr. Rohit Dhawan (Lloyds Banking Group), both of whom have experience deploying AI at scale in highly regulated financial environments.
- The AI Champions will report directly to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Lucy Rigby, focusing on turning the wave of rapid adoption into sustainable growth.
- Key tasks include accelerating safe AI adoption at scale, identifying areas for faster innovation, and removing barriers holding businesses back.
- Parallel goals are to improve customer experience, enhance productivity and competitiveness, while maintaining trust, resilience, and consumer protection.
- Harriet Rees is currently the Group CIO of Starling Bank, responsible for data, engineering, information security, and technology strategy, and is co-Chair of the Bank of England’s AI Taskforce.
- Rohit Dhawan is the Director of AI & Advanced Analytics at Lloyds Banking Group, leading AI strategy, machine learning, advanced analytics, and AI ethics.
- These roles take effect from January 20, 2026, are direct ministerial appointments, and are unpaid positions.
📌 The UK government has appointed two “AI Champions” to lead the deployment of AI in financial services, aiming to boost growth, productivity, and investment while protecting consumers and maintaining system stability. The roles take effect from January 20, 2026, are direct ministerial appointments, and are unpaid. With 75% of financial businesses already using AI and a potential to create an additional $25–38 billion USD in value by 2030, the UK is shifting from encouragement to strategic coordination. The appointment of AI Champions demonstrates an effort to balance accelerated innovation with risk governance. If successful, this will be a lever helping the UK consolidate its position as a global financial-technology hub in the AI era.
