Starling Bank brand and marketing director Rachel Kerrone is departing the business after seven and a half years.

Kerrone is taking the summer out to spend time with family before “pursuing a new challenge”. Reflecting on her departure, the marketer said her time at the bank was an “incredible journey”, which involved “growing the brand from the ground up”.

The brand boss led on the launch of Starling’s ‘The bank built for you’ positioning, released in January 2024. The new platform represented a switch to growing salience after the bank’s brand awareness rose from 8% in 2018 to 75% in 2024. The release of The bank built for you coincided with a 25% increase in Starling’s marketing team, as the brand looked to grow consideration through “relatable” work.

During Kerrone’s tenure Starling Bank scooped multiple Marketing Week Awards, winning the 2022 accolades for Customer Experience Excellence and triumphing for its B2B work.

Prior to joining Starling in 2017, Kerrone spent over seven years at Royal Bank of Scotland, culminating in the role of marketing business partner for corporate and institutional banking. A former marketing and communications manager at J.P Morgan and marketing manager at Bradford & Bingley, Kerrone kicked off her career as an analyst at Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.

Starling Bank launches fresh brand platform as its priority shifts to driving salience

A replacement for Kerrone’s role has not been announced. In her final months at Starling, she reported into CMO Michele Rousseau who joined the business in the newly created role in November. She is tasked with driving Starling’s next phase of growth through brand development, customer engagement and product marketing.

Prior to Rousseau’s appointment, Starling’s C-Suite was without a marketer since the departure of former chief growth officer Rachel Pollard in 2021. Chief corporate affairs officer Alexandra Frean oversaw marketing from 2021 to November 2024.

In its annual report for 2024, Starling saw revenue grow 1.5x year-on-year to £682.2m, with active customers up 17.8%. For FY24, marketing costs also increased to £35.9m from £29.7m the year prior.

Despite the financial successes, there have been challenges for the bank to overcome. Starling encountered controversy in November, amid widespread reports employees resigned after orders to return to the office for 10 days each month. The month prior, the Financial Conduct Authority fined the bank £29m for “shockingly lax” financial crime controls.