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Exec who transformed Starling’s risk controls after £29m fine to leave

Published: March 24, 2026 at 4:53 pm

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Starling Group’s chief risk officer is to leave the digital bank to pursue a portfolio career.

The firm said that over the last two years, Cyrille Salle De Chou led a programme to scale Starling’s risk controls and to further embed risk management into the bank’s culture.

Between September 2021 and November 2023, prior to him joining the firm, Starling – founded in 2014 by Anne Boden and backed by Goldman Sachs – was found to have opened over 54,000 accounts for 49,000 high-risk customers.

The Financial Conduct Authority subsequently fined Starling £29 million for financial crime failings related to its financial sanctions screening.

De Chou joined in February 2024 – months before the fine was issued. Starling has named Keith Algie as his successor, subject to regulatory approval.

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