News & Press

LHV UK (‘LHV’ or the ‘Company’), Banking Services provider for fintech companies, is pleased to announce that Paul Horner has been appointed to the board of directors as an Independent Non-Executive Director (‘NED’) from 4 January 2022. Paul will chair the Risk and Capital Committee and be a member of the Audit and Nominations Committees of LHV UK.

Paul brings more than three decades of experience in the banking sector. He joined Barclays in 1988, undertaking various leadership and risk management positions, before joining The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (‘RBS’) in 2003, where he held various executive positions in risk and general management roles. Paul stepped down from a full-time role at RBS in 2019 and now focuses on select companies and projects he believes in, adding benefit from his expertise.

His most recent position at RBS was Director of Risk at Ulster Bank Ireland, between 2018 and 2019, where he led a team of 200 credit, market, and operational risk professionals. Before Ulster Bank he worked at Coutts & Co International for six years, first as a Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer; and then as a Chief Executive Officer. His career spans risk and general management in commercial, retail and private banking across various markets. Paul has wide-ranging international experience, having operated out of the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany, with broad global responsibilities.

Paul’s other NED positions include Arion Bankki in Reykjavik from 2019 and Allied Irish Banks UK since 2020. Between 2018-2021 he served as a NED at Coutts & Co International. Paul graduated with Honours from the University of Oxford in 1983 and is an Associate of the UK Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Paul Horner and the persons related to him do not hold shares in AS LHV Group.

Madis Toomsalu, Chairman of the Board, LHV UK, said, “I am thrilled to welcome a banking veteran of Paul’s calibre to LHV UK’s Board of Directors. His decades of senior management experience, especially in risk management, make him an invaluable asset as we progress with our UK banking licence application. We already look after almost 200 fintech clients, offering them instant Euro and Pound payments and access to traditional banking infrastructure and services, with new services routinely added.”

Paul Horner, Independent Non-Executive Director, LHV UK, said, “LHV UK bridges the gap between traditional finance and the new generation of fintech companies. Their client-facing offering is constantly evolving and is the reason why many fintech unicorns like Wise, Coinbase and Airwallex, have chosen LHV UK as their preferred banking partner. I’m delighted to join the Company during this seminal period when it applies for a UK banking licence as I’m confident that the demand for its services will only increase.”