Our People | Meet Alex Hamilton

Sport enthusiast Alex has risen quickly to our Head of Finance since joining the Bank in June 2018 after moving to the UK from South Africa earlier that year. His two young sons get him out of bed in the morning and if he wasn’t a valuable member of the Redwood family, his dream job would be a professional cricket player. Learn more about Alex below.  

Challengers vs high street banks – is there a place for both? 

There will always be room for both. Challenger banks challenge the status quo and norms that high street banks have created. They often support certain markets that high street banks neglect or they tend to create new markets that have not been considered by the high street. Due to their smaller scale, challenger banks are often much quicker to react to new opportunities, technologies and practices when compared to larger high street banks. Additionally, challengers force high street banks to do right by their customers as they highlight the alternatives that exist in the market.  

What is your role within Redwood Bank? 

As Head of Finance, I am responsible for ensuring the correct controls are in place and reporting is up to scratch with regard to the finances of the Bank, such as monthly management accounts, an annual report and accounts and certain regulatory disclosures. The more glamorous side of the role includes forecasting what the Bank may look like in the future and what various products, strategies and investments will do for the Bank’s performance, profitability and overall structure.  

What’s one thing you know now about banking that you didn’t three years ago? 

Everything as Redwood is my first job working in the banking industry! I always aimed to work in this sector, but my original plan was to go into investment banking. However, Redwood’s people, culture and vision sold this role to me.  

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in banking?  

There is no doubt that banking is a tough industry to work in but at the same time it is exciting and fast paced. I would recommend that people looking to work in the banking industry do their homework and understand how banks work. There is a career for most personalities in banking due to banks offering a range of different jobs in various roles, such as finance, marketing, human resources and operations.  

How do you see Redwood evolving in the coming years?  

I expect Redwood to continue to evolve rather than reinvent itself. The Bank has been formed on solid underpinning principles that will remain the core of its business over the next few years, alongside some subtle additions to the product ranges and improvements to the Bank’s operational abilities and customer experience.  

What should we watch out for in the wider industry in the next three years? 

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are probably the biggest gamechangers on the horizon; however, these technologies are expensive and hard to develop. In the world of banking, the ability of a machine to apply knowledge and experience like a human could be a huge gamechanger in terms of servicing less obvious clients who are under served by high street banks.  

What three people, dead or alive, would you invite to your ultimate dinner party? 

Margaret Thatcher, because I don’t believe that anybody, in recent history has had a such a profound and lasting impact on Britain. Alistair Brownlee as I am a huge fan of triathlons, and I would love to meet a legend of the sport. Queen (the entire band) because as a child I loved their music and unfortunately Freddie Mercury died before I was old enough to see them in concert.