Leading digital bank Tandem announces a key senior appointment to its senior Executive Team with immediate effect.

Georgina Whalley joins Tandem in the newly created senior role of Chief Impact and Marketing Officer. She is mandated with accelerating and amplifying Tandem’s mission to build the UK’s fairer, greener digital bank, citing the bank’s mission as a primary motivation for joining. Georgina is the latest senior appointment to Tandem’s Executive Committee following Tandem’s acquisition of leading consumer lender Oplo in January this year.

Georgina joins Tandem having held senior roles at global consumer fintech Openpay for the past three years, most recently as Interim UK CEO. Prior to this, her career included senior roles for some of the UK’s leading consumer brands including Marks & Spencer, New Look, Sweaty Betty and Arcadia.

Tandem has been clear on its intentions and ambitions to broaden and develop its impact to ensure it plays a meaningful part in society. In her role as Chief Impact and Marketing Officer, she will lead the strategy and delivery of the bank’s fairer and greener agenda, including driving ESG activities, as well as continuing Tandem’s successful marketing and communications. Georgina will have responsibility for all above and below the line activity including marketing, PR, social and digital communications.

Georgina will report to Tandem’s CEO, Susie Aliker.

Commenting on her appointment, Georgina said:

“I am delighted to be joining Tandem at this exciting time as we accelerate our activity and ambition to create a positive and lasting impact on society, leading the way for customers to make fairer and greener financial choices in their everyday lives. The Tandem brand has tremendous potential and I’m excited to bring my skills and experience to realise this huge challenge in making Tandem, in time, the UK’s leading fairer, greener bank.”

CEO of Tandem, Susie Aliker, added:

“I am delighted to welcome Georgina to Tandem in this important new role. Being fairer and greener are at the core of Tandem’s purpose and its brand, and I am confident she will make a strong contribution to both the pace and performance of Tandem as it continues to focus on building scale and positive impact in our industry.”

New research from Tandem shows that 9 out of 10 of UK savers are concerned about the environment, but with less than 60% actively contributing, they wish their bank to make choices on their behalf to fight the climate crisis

New research from Savings Champion on behalf of Tandem Bank into consumer attitudes to savings shows that Brits know they need to be greener – but aren’t in action

It is estimated that on average every home in the UK will have to reduce 3.6 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030 to keep us on track for hitting the government’s 2050 Net Zero goal .

But according to new research from leading digital bank Tandem Bank, conducted by consumer advice expert Savings Champion, while over 90% are worried about the impact on the environment, 56% are not actively contributing to its fight.

Instead, the research shows that Brits trust and have an appetite for their bank to lend their savings to directly support positive impacts against climate change (56% of respondents). Almost one in ten of us would also be happy to accept a lower rate if banks did so.

But with Tandem’s previous research showing some customers are more focused on the rising cost of living and not about the effects of climate change , consumers need more support to make an impact.

And with 75% of respondents trusting their bank to make green decisions on their behalf, Tandem Bank has already illustrated this trust in action, supporting customers with over £230 million for green home improvements, which last year alone financed a reduction of 12,000 tonnes in CO2 emissions.

The results also confirm appetite for consumers to look after their savings online, with 67% of respondents already using a savings app. 90% would be inclined to manage their savings via an app as well as online. But despite the introduction of new digital technologies aimed at driving efficiencies and value, savers remain reluctant to embrace Open Banking – with the research showing that 62% of consumers are either uncomfortable with, or unaware of, Open Banking.

Commenting on the survey, Tandem’s new Director of Savings, Ben Mitchell, said:

“This research shows the scale of the opportunity for Tandem in the savings market as we look to support and encourage customers to play their part in driving positive climate change.

“Tandem is on an exciting journey to build a bank focused on helping customers make fairer and greener financial choices. We’re making great progress – including the recent enhancement of our online sales journey – and it’s great to see consumer appetite for us to continue to support consumers make greener and fairer choices, whilst providing market-leading rates for their hard-earned money.”

Tandem currently has a suite of savings products across fixed rate and instant access, several of which sit at the top of the Best Buy tables. Ben Mitchell recently joined Tandem in his new role to accelerate Tandem’s savings proposition, and one of his first initiatives has been to overhaul and enhance Tandem’s online customer experience.

Anna Bowes, Co-Founder of Savings Champion, said:

“The results of the survey are really encouraging as they show just how important environmental issues are to people – and this is having a positive impact on how companies, including banks, behave. The more companies that improve their green credentials the better it is for the planet. It’s good to know that we can all have a direct impact on encouraging companies to become genuinely greener.”

Savings Champion is one of the UK’s leading independent experts on cash-based savings, providing savers with free unbiased, guidance on their cash savings. They have created one of the largest databases of savings account information in the UK, monitoring over 5,500 savings accounts and 18,000 interest rates.

Savings Champion has pledged 25% of its future profits and value to environmental charity Restore Our Planet, one of the financial contributors of the David Attenborough film, A Life on Our Planet, as a fundamental value of the business is to have a significant positive impact towards saving the planet.

New second charge mortgage feature offers rate reductions of up to 0.5% based on EPC rating

Tandem plans to launch further products and initiatives as part of its mission to becoming the UK’s fairer, greener digital bank

Leading digital bank Tandem launches new green product feature as first initiative in the second charge mortgage market as it continues its mission to becoming the UK’s fairer, greener digital bank.

Tandem’s new second charge mortgage feature will offer a ‘green discount’ on new second charge mortgages, operated under its Oplo brand, offering a rate reduction of up to 0.5% for new customers with an EPC rating of A, B or C.

Tandem believes strongly that banks can play a big part in supporting consumers to reduce their home’s carbon footprint. And with the UK Government estimating that on average every home in the UK will have to reduce 3.6 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030 to keep us on track for hitting 2050 Net Zero targets, this is the first initiative in mortgages to support customers going ‘greener’.

Tandem’s recent research shows that over a quarter of Brits are unaware, uninformed, unwilling or unsupported on how to approach greener living. It’s clear we need increased awareness and support to help them tackle this important challenge. That’s why in the coming months, Tandem also plans to launch ‘Greener in Tandem’, a series of initiatives and information to support customers understand their home’s current emissions, as well as what, where and how they can help reduce it.

Following its acquisition of Oplo in January 2022, Tandem has been clear on its intention to broaden and develop its product offering across a range of consumer lending products, including first and second charge mortgages.

Commenting on the launch, Steve Beard, Managing Director for Mortgages, said:

“This is an exciting step for Tandem. Climate Change is one of the most important issues we’re facing in society today. Our customers are increasingly worried about doing their part, and with 15% of carbon emissions coming from our homes, the time to act is now.

“Tandem is proud to play its role in supporting our customers make greener and fairer choices. Today’s launch is an exciting and important first step, and we hope to see customers doing more to improve their home’s EPC rating. This is the first step in our planned improvements for greener mortgages – we’ve lots more to do as we continue our mission to becoming the UK’s fairer, greener digital bank.”

Notes:

1. Green discount applied at point of application. Customers can find out their EPC rating here.
2. Tandem’s mortgage products are available here.
3. Oplo’s second charge mortgage products are available here.
4. Tandem launched in 2014 as one of the UK’s original digital challenger banks providing customers with simple, transparent and fair products across its range of savings, green home improvement loans and mortgages.
5. Tandem acquired Harrods Bank in 2018 and Allium Lending Group in 2020 – a business focused on the home improvement lending sector.
6. Tandem acquired leading consumer lender Oplo in January 2022 – a profitable consumer lending business focused on the new mainstream of UK borrowers underserved by traditional high street banks.
7. Tandem has offices in London, Blackpool, Cardiff, Durham and Manchester and employs over 500 people.