Standard Chartered has appointed Margaret Harwood-Jones as chief executive for Europe and UK, effective 1 September 2026, in a newly created role designed to unify oversight of the bank's business across 11 markets in the region. Mandy DeFilippo, CEO of US and Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the moves reinforce "our commitment to create a more efficient and more connected organisation".
Harwood-Jones, currently Global Head of Financing and Securities Services at Standard Chartered, will take on the combined regional mandate as part of a broader refresh of the European management team. She has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, including senior roles at BNP Paribas and HSBC.
NEW COMBINED REGIONAL ROLE
The new position brings together responsibility for Standard Chartered's European and UK activities under a single executive across the 11 markets in the region.
In her existing role as Global Head of Financing and Securities Services, Harwood-Jones led a transformation of the FSS business that, the bank said, positioned it among the top three custodians in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
"Europe and the UK are core to our global strategy, and there is significant opportunity to accelerate growth, leveraging our unique cross-border capabilities and platform," Harwood-Jones said.
GERMANY LEADERSHIP ALSO CHANGES
As part of the same reshuffle, Standard Chartered named Jorg Hessenmuller as chief executive of SCB AG, the group's Germany-based European entity. Hessenmuller, who succeeds Nicolo Salsano, joined Standard Chartered in 2024 as chief operating officer of SCB AG and later also became chief technology and operations officer for Europe; he previously worked at Commerzbank, mBank and Dresdner Bank.
Standard Chartered has opened offices in Switzerland and Brussels over the past two years and set up a digital asset custody entity in Luxembourg, Reuters reported.
The appointments come as the bank seeks to win more cross-border business from large corporates and financial institutions and to grow its wealth management business, according to Reuters.
Both appointments take effect on 1 September 2026.