Pay.UK adds Monzo, Equals and Bank of Ireland UK executives to board

Pay.UK has appointed Alison Berryman of Bank of Ireland UK, Matthijs Boon of Equals and Pranay Ahluwalia of Monzo Bank as industry non-executive directors, effective 1 July 2026. The recognised operator and standards body for the UK’s interbank retail payment systems said the additions give its board equal representation between industry and independent non-executive directors.

The appointments come as Pay.UK works with industry and government on the future structure of UK retail payments, including operational resilience, fraud prevention and changes to core payment infrastructure. Pay.UK said the three directors add experience in payments, retail banking, technology, regulation and international partnerships.

Berryman is chief operating officer at Bank of Ireland UK and has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, according to Pay.UK. The organisation said her background spans UK retail banking, payments and technology, including operational resilience, regulatory reporting, fraud prevention and large-scale digital transformation.

Boon is chief partnerships officer at Equals. Pay.UK said he has more than 25 years of experience across international payments, retail banking and digital money, with work covering global payment ecosystems, banking partnerships, international commercial strategy and regulatory strategy.

Ahluwalia is general manager for payments at Monzo Bank, where Pay.UK said he leads the build, delivery and execution of global payment rails, merchant acquiring and core infrastructure. His previous roles include chief product officer at Teya and global general manager for B2B payments at Amazon, according to Pay.UK.

Pay.UK operates and sets standards for UK interbank retail payment systems. Its role places it at the centre of infrastructure used by banks, fintechs and other participants to move money between accounts, where governance decisions can affect resilience, access, fraud controls and service development.

The organisation said the new directors will support work on initiatives including changes to the Faster Payment System liquidity model and Enhanced Data Exchange, known as EDEx, which is intended to help combat fraud. Liquidity arrangements in faster payments determine how participants fund and settle obligations, while enhanced data sharing can give firms more information to assess transactions and detect suspicious activity.

Mark Hoban, chair of Pay.UK, said the appointments strengthen the board’s range of experience across payments, technology, regulation, operational resilience and innovation. He said the directors would contribute as Pay.UK continues to deliver safe, resilient and effective payment systems while supporting the development of the UK retail payments ecosystem.

Boon said he looked forward to working with fellow directors to strengthen UK payment systems during a period of change, with a focus on outcomes for users and participants.

Pay.UK said the appointments support its revised remit following changes announced by the Payments Vision Delivery Committee at Mansion House 2025. In March 2026, the organisation updated its Articles of Association to add three industry non-executive director positions.

The board has expanded from 12 to 14 directors and now comprises the chair, the chief executive, six industry non-executive directors and six independent non-executive directors, according to Pay.UK. The organisation said the structure is intended to add technical expertise and improve the board’s understanding of opportunities and risks in the payments system.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.