Paradigm Norton Financial Planning has appointed former FSCS chief executive Caroline Rainbird as a Non-Executive Director (NED).
Ms Rainbird has had a nearly 40-year career in financial services, spanning front-office banking, large-scale operations, transformation, regulation and board-level leadership.
She spent four-and-a-half-years as CEO at FSCS, leading the organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining uninterrupted operations while improving employee engagement and customer satisfaction.
She spent the majority of her executive career with ABN AMRO, later part of RBS and NatWest, holding senior roles across structured and leveraged finance, operations and large-scale transformation.
After the financial crisis, she led global corporate services at RBS during a period of intense public and regulatory scrutiny, before leading global regulatory and public affairs, working closely with the Board and regulators through significant regulatory change.
She currently holds a number of non-executive roles, including serving on the Trustee Board of the NatWest Group Pension Fund, the Standard Life Group With-Profits Committee and the Board of Modulr Financial Services where she is also the Consumer Duty Board Champion.
Her appointment follows a detailed governance review which saw Paradigm Norton separate executive and Board responsibilities. She will serve a three-year term as NED, with the option for an extension until November 2031.
Philippa Hann, CEO at Paradigm Norton said: “Caroline brought a customer-centric approach to the FSCS, which aligns strongly with Paradigm Norton's client-first philosophy and B-Corp values and gives her crucial insight into the regulatory landscape impacting financial planning firms.
“Her previous executive roles, encompassing strategic planning, commercial performance, and operational management across large, complex, international organisations, are critical to our future growth plans.”
Ms Rainbird said: “As a non-executive, you bring value by not being immersed in the day-to-day. I place a lot of importance on listening carefully, maintaining perspective and helping executive teams stay focused on long-term outcomes, particularly around governance, culture and customer impact.”