Rebecca McNeil takes over as FLA chair

Rebecca McNeil, CEO of Close Brothers Retail, has been named the new chair of the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), with effect from 30 November. She succeeds Richard Jones, who has held this post since 2017.

McNeil was previously CEO at Close Brothers Motor Finance. Her industry experience includes senior roles in Barclays as MD of the asset finance division, COO for Barclays Business and MD of product for all business and corporate lending. In addition, she brings a wealth of consumer finance experience from her time at GE Money and AMEX.

Richard Jones, outgoing chair of the FLA, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed Chairing the FLA over the last four years, in particular through the recent challenges we have faced into as an industry. I’m delighted to be handing over the reins to Rebecca, her knowledge of FLA markets and her insights on the challenges facing lenders position Rebecca well. I wish Rebecca every success in helping the FLA steer through its next chapter, including the challenges and opportunities of Net Zero.”

Rebecca McNeil, CEO at Close Brothers, said: “I’m honoured to be joining the FLA Board. The association is a formidable advocate for our industry because of its broad membership – that expertise will be vital as we seek the necessary regulatory reform to improve our business environment so that we can ultimately drive good customer outcomes across everything we do.”

Stephen Haddrill, director general of the FLA, added: “On behalf of the board and the FLA staff, I would like to thank Richard for his service during the last four years. He has provided strong leadership and insight to the association throughout his tenure and particularly through the pandemic. We are all delighted Rebecca will be our chair and look forward to working with her.”