Welsh Tech Leader Harriet Rees Appointed AI Champion to Guide UK Financial Services Innovation
A Welsh technology leader has been appointed as an AI Champion by HM Treasury, reinforcing Wales’ growing influence in the future of artificial intelligence and financial services across the UK.
Announced on 20 January 2026, Harriet Rees, Group Chief Information Officer at Starling Bank, and Dr Rohit Dhawan, Head of AI and Advanced Analytics at Lloyds Banking Group, will spearhead efforts to support the safe, responsible and scalable adoption of AI across financial services. The appointments were made by HM Treasury, with both Champions reporting directly to Economic Secretary Lucy Rigby KC MP.
Harriet Rees, who is Welsh, works at Starling Bank, which has offices in Cardiff. Her appointment highlights the growing role Welsh talent and regional fintech hubs play in shaping national innovation and technology strategy.
The creation of the AI Champion roles comes as artificial intelligence is already widely deployed across the sector, with around three-quarters of UK financial services firms now using AI. Independent analysis suggests the technology could add tens of billions of pounds to the financial and professional services sector by 2030, while significantly transforming services for customers.
The AI Champions will focus on helping firms seize AI opportunities at pace while maintaining consumer protection, resilience and financial stability. Their remit includes accelerating safe adoption at scale, identifying where innovation can move faster, and tackling barriers that may be holding firms back.
Quotes from Key Figures
Lucy Rigby KC MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said:
“Harriet and Rohit bring deep, real-world experience of deploying AI safely at scale, and they will help turn rapid adoption into practical delivery – unlocking growth while keeping our financial system secure and resilient.”
Harriet Rees, Group Chief Information Officer at Starling Bank, said:
“Being appointed AI Champion for Financial Services is an exciting opportunity as the sector faces a pivotal moment to become a world leader in AI. I look forward to working with HM Treasury and the industry to create a world-class ecosystem in which innovation exceeds customers’ expectations and the transformative power of AI unlocks growth. In turn, this will reinforce the UK’s status as the world’s most technologically advanced financial centre.”
Dr Rohit Dhawan, Head of AI and Advanced Analytics at Lloyds Banking Group, said:
“It is a privilege to have been asked by HM Treasury to take on the role of AI Champion for financial services. AI has the potential to reshape the industry and at Lloyds Banking Group we are already seeing how thoughtful and responsible adoption of AI can transform customer experience and the way a large organisation operates. I look forward to working with HM Treasury, regulators and industry partners to accelerate the trusted and effective use of AI across financial services and support the UK’s ambition to remain a global leader in financial innovation.”
Harriet Rees leads data, engineering, information security and product development at Starling Bank, having founded the bank’s Data Science practice in 2018. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Bank of England’s AI Taskforce and is a member of the AI Financial Services Consortium.
Dr Rohit Dhawan has been Group Director and Head of AI & Advanced Analytics at Lloyds Banking Group since 2024, leading multidisciplinary teams across data science, machine learning engineering and AI ethics. He is also a member of the AI Financial Services Consortium.
The roles are unpaid, direct ministerial appointments and take effect from 20 January 2026. The official Terms of Reference for the appointments can be accessed here (PDF).