Yorkshire Bank’s new COO goes back to his roots

JOHN Hooper has been appointed chief operating officer at Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks and is relocating from London to Leeds as his full-time work base.
Yorkshire Bank's  John Hooper.Yorkshire Bank's  John Hooper.
Yorkshire Bank's John Hooper.

The former international investment banker has been given the new title in recognition of his wide-ranging role at National Australia Bank’s UK operations.

In his new role he will be looking at how Yorkshire Bank can have a greater impact in the North of England. He is also buying a house in Yorkshire.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Hooper told the Yorkshire Post: “My connection with the North of England has long standing personal roots so it’s great to be returning home.

“I’ve also spent a great deal of time forming relationships with the business community here in recent years and am looking forward to being able to spend more time further strengthening them.”

Mr Hooper, a native of Sunderland, studied at London School of Economics and York University before joining merchant bank Kleinwort Benson as a graduate trainee.

He learned his trade in London and California and joined NAB in 1996 to help set up a corporate finance office in the UK.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He moved to Melbourne in Australia in 2002 and was appointed head of NAB’s global institutional business.

Mr Hooper returned to these shores in 2009 and became executive director of National Australia Group Europe.

NAB is carrying out a deep restructuring of its UK operations, which reported a statutory loss of £470m in the last financial year.

Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks are retrenching to their heartlands in the North and Scotland.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Hooper said: “Being based in Leeds full-time will enable me to engage more directly with colleagues, customers and the communities we operate in.

“It will help me understand what matters most to those who live and work here, and take a more hands-on role in leading the Yorkshire Bank brand.

“Historically, Yorkshire Bank has always played a central role in the local economies and communities of the North of England, with a proud workforce driving it.

“I believe we can build on those attributes, which I know are important to everyone involved in our business, and will be looking at how Yorkshire Bank can have an even greater impact across the whole of the North.”