rofi e Boden was made an MBE in 2018 for services to fintech temporarily stopped sole building things, when our customers ask us to do more The whole BLM issue has been an eye-opener traders opening new accounts because it was overwhelmed as they do constantly we can for us. While our employee base is diverse, by demand. respond. I think companies we are not getting black people to the top Personally, the negative stuff underestimate customers was horrible, Boden admits. technological abilities. However, it was a very small, Starling knows what its but vocal, minority who complained, she says. customers want because they talk to us a lot, says Boden. In The urgency of the need from SMEs meant that Starling had to a typical day, I will get 20 or 30 emails from customers. For example, launch its government-backed lending practically from a standing a customer told me recently that, because she has small hands, she start. We were upfront about the fact that we might need to make uses a small phone, and on our app display, some of the buttons adjustments as we go, says Boden. But you cant hide. You have to are too near to each other. So, we can change that. take the good with the bad. Boden has always been visible, believing that, as chief executive The government guarantee protects the bank, not the borrower, of a bank, she should be accessible and speak to customers on but the banks will be required to chase the loans before going to social media. She is proud of the customer-focused experience she the Treasury which is unlikely to play well with the customers has been at pains to create and that has won awards, including concerned. I think certain bodies have been encouraging people to Best British Bank for a third consecutive year at the British Bank take out loans without pointing out that they will have to repay Awards in early March. She herself was made an MBE in June 2018 them; this is not free money, says Boden. for services to fintech. As a result, I think there will be a backlash against the banking So, the opprobrium the bank attracted from some quarters over industry, and we are all working with the Treasury to ensure the the Bounce Back Loans was painful; there was a vicious response right support mechanisms are there for customers over the next on Twitter when it turned down some loan applications and 18 Impact ISSUE 31 20_pp16-19_Profile.indd 18 18/09/2020 11:35