NI Chamber In Conversation

NI CHAMBER IN CONVERSATION WITH KEVIN KINGSTON

Former Chief Executive of Danske Bank.

Born in Nigeria, Kevin tells listeners: “Home is very much Northern Ireland but it did take me a few years to get here.

“The family connection to Nigeria goes back to the 1920s when my grandfather went out there as a missionary. In those days, when you went out to Africa, you weren’t expected to come back, but he did. Then my parents went out in the 1960s. My father is a Methodist clergyman. My sister and I were born out there. There was a civil war in the 1960s and my mother, sister and I had to come back at short notice whilst my father stayed in Nigeria to conclude his work. In the meantime, my mother, sister and I lived in a house off the Cavehill Road.”

During the episode, Kevin reflects on his career path and how he didn’t follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, father and sister.

“I came from a long line of clergy but I went a different direction. I had been focusing on a career in medicine and I ended up with offers for medicine and business studies. It forced me to make a decision. Upon reflection, I wanted to study medicine because it was the toughest course, but I thought I would try something new and went into business studies and then accountancy.

“I really love business – talking and learning about businesses. I’m not always great at remembering people’s names but I can remember their business.”

Having joined Danske Bank (formerly Northern Bank) in 2008, Kevin explains the impact of the financial crisis.

“Of course, Northern Bank and our customers were significantly impacted by the crisis but it was also a time of opportunity in many ways. Northern Bank was one of the few banks that was able to continue lending during the crisis and because of this, we were able to attract many of Northern Ireland’s best businesses to bank with us. We were able to continue to support business and that gave us a competitive advantage in those years.

“That was a huge lesson for me – the opportunities that a crisis can bring and the importance of planning for a potential crisis

Kevin Kingston is the former Chief Executive of Danske Bank. Mark Devenport spoke to Kevin prior to his retirement, when he was the guest on NI Chamber’s ‘In Conversation’ podcast, delivered in association with Narratology. In episode four, Kevin speaks to Mark about redefining himself as a leader, turning crisis into opportunity and the changed culture of financial services, as well as his plans for the future and the appointment of Vicky Davies as CEO.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH NARRATOLOGY

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before it happens.”

Kevin shares how preparing for a crisis allowed Danske Bank to be a “force for good during the COVID pandemic”.

“We had been making a number of preparations around Brexit conversations and the risk of Brexit. Those preparations stood us in good stead as we went into the COVID crisis. We were able to keep lending, which was crucial for the economy.

“We provided around 5,000 mortgage payment holidays and £500 million of support through the government loan schemes.

“I have to say I am so proud of what my colleagues have done over the past year. We have sought to support customers and communities across Northern Ireland.”

Kevin discusses his optimism for the recovery of Northern Ireland’s economy following a demanding year.

“When we look at the recovery of the economy there is a lot to be positive about. Brexit, or the fear of no-deal Brexit, is behind us and we are coming out the other side of COVID. There is a lot to be positive about.

“I am not naïve, we are certainly not out of the woods yet. There is still legacy debt and that is a concern when you look at the level of debt that is still there, which is going to have to be worked though.

“But on the whole, we are in a much better position than I would have predicted we were going to be in a year ago. I see more opportunities than challenges now.”

Later in the episode, Kevin considers the digital transformation of banking.

“It is arguable that as a bank, we are now more of an IT business than a bank.

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A lot of my conversations are about APIs [application programming interfaces] and cybersecurity, but also digital transformation and how that has been driven by changing customer expectations. We all expect delivery of services in a convenient way and banks need to respond to that.”

Kevin also shares some of the measures Danske Bank has implemented to tackle sustainability and climate change.

“We have trained 500 people in climate change and sustainability and have launched a new Danske Climate Action Programme in conjunction with Business in the Community. This is aimed at helping businesses figure out their own climate change strategy through a series of workshops.”

Looking to the future of Danske Bank, Kevin talks about his own plans for retirement and the appointment of Vicky Davies as the bank’s first female CEO.

“I like to think of it as a restructuring of my working week,” he says.

“I am delighted that Vicky is going to be taking over. Having worked with her for many years, she and I have very much set the strategy. I know she will take it forward on the same basis and will bring a huge injection of energy. I am looking forward to watching the business continue to thrive under her leadership.”

Kevin concludes the episode by providing leadership advice to his younger self.

“During those early years in my career, I spent too much time worrying about things that I wasn’t good at as opposed to the things that I could do.

“I have learnt that a leader doesn’t have to be good at everything. My job is to put together a great team of people around me and to create the opportunity for those people to succeed and thrive. And that’s what leadership is about.”

Episode four of the ‘In Conversation’ podcast is available to listen to now on the NI Chamber website, as well as on Spotify, iTunes and Google Podcasts.