NatWest technology chief Freeman to leave Boxed and Mettle posts

NatWest is changing the technology leadership of two of its digital banking operations, with Wayne Freeman leaving his posts as chief technology officer of Boxed and Mettle at the end of August. The move places James Gawn, currently engineering director across Mettle and Boxed, in charge of the technology function for both businesses, according to Finextra.

Freeman disclosed his departure on LinkedIn after six years at Mettle, NatWest’s digital account for UK small businesses, and three years at Boxed, the bank’s Banking-as-a-Service unit. He has not announced his next role.

Successor comes from the engineering team

Gawn has spent the past four years building and leading the engineering group responsible for the core banking platform used by both Mettle and Boxed, Finextra reported. His appointment keeps the technology leadership within the team that developed the shared platform infrastructure underpinning the two NatWest businesses.

Boxed sits in the bank’s embedded finance and Banking-as-a-Service activity, while Mettle serves small-business customers through a digital account proposition. The common technology base means leadership of engineering and platform development is central to both products’ operations.

Freeman said on LinkedIn that his time at the bank had involved growing two businesses and building a team. His prior roles include positions at WorldRemit and Capital One, as well as a short period at Bó, the digital challenger bank launched by Royal Bank of Scotland and later closed.

Leadership shift in digital banking

The personnel change comes as large banks continue to run digital brands and platform businesses alongside their core retail and commercial banking operations. In that model, technology teams typically carry responsibility for the systems that process accounts, customer interactions and partner services, while the banking group retains ownership of regulated products and balance-sheet relationships.

NatWest’s decision to name Gawn to both roles links the future technology management of Boxed and Mettle to the engineering leadership already associated with their core platform. Finextra did not report any further changes to the structure of the businesses or to their commercial strategy.

Freeman’s departure date is set for the end of August. No details have been disclosed on his next move.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.