Clydesdale Bank poaches Communications team from rivals

24/01/07

Clydesdale Bank has poached two senior communications staff from its Scottish  banking rivals.

Barry Gardner joins from Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) as head of external affairs. Gardner is responsible for corporate communications for both the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank brands.

Gardner was with HBOS for over five years working on business banking and corporate communication and previously held positions with General Accident and Stagecoach.

Joining Gardner in the expanded corporate affairs team is Stuart Neill who has moved from Royal Bank of Scotland where he led media relations for the bank's Tesco Personal Finance brand. Neill joins as senior media relations manager working across the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank's network of business and high net worth banking centres.

Gardner and Neill join current team members Ewan McCulloch, senior government and media relations manager and Peter Brown who is media relations manager for Yorkshire Bank. Gardner says: "Clydesdale Bank is a resurgent brand and acknowledged as the UK 's best business bank. Our renewed focus on external affairs will be integral to our continued growth and positioning with customers and opinion formers".

Clydesdale Bank currently retains three support agencies. Leeds based Ptarmigan for Yorkshire Bank's personal finance and retail banking, College Hill for financial communications and Beattie Communications for business banking.