Desmond
McNamara.

Desmond is the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) at Zilch, leveraging over 30 years of vast experience in the financial services sector to ensure the company provides consumers with a revolutionary approach to financial services. His primary focus lies in meticulously managing numbers, processes, and controls, with a forward-thinking eye on regulatory compliance and product performance.

Previously Des has held the pivotal role of global Chief Risk Officer at Barclaycard, a major player in unsecured lending across the UK, US, and Germany. Prior to this, he served as the Head of Financial Risk for the entire Barclays Group. His expertise was further honed at Dresdner Bank, where he led Risk Management for the Markets business, and at Deutsche Bank, where he excelled as Managing Director of Treasury, including a stint in the Asia Pacific region.

Before joining Zilch, Desmond achieved a remarkable feat as the CRO, building a new UK bank from the ground up, culminating in its authorisation in 2020 and subsequent listing on the AIM market. His journey in finance began in derivatives trading, having completed a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics at the University of Warwick.