NatWest Group plc (NWG) has announced the appointment of Albert Hitchcock as an independent non-executive director, with effect from 16 February 2026. It also announced that Yasmin Jetha, non-executive director, who had joined NatWest in 2017, will retire from the board at the end of March.

Hitchcock is a former non-executive director of Nationwide Building Society and Pureprofile and former COO and chief technology officer at Pearson, the international publishing conglomerate.

Hitchcock’s 35-year career in the technology industry began at BAE Systems and Racal Electronics, in a variety of engineering and product development roles. In 1993 he joined the Canadian telecoms equipment provider Nortel Networks as a senior engineer and was subsequently promoted through the organisation to become global CIO in 2002. In January 2007, after 14 years at Nortel, Hitchcock joined Vodafone and was appointed into the role of Vodafone group chief information officer.

Hitchcock spent from 2014 to 2022 at Pearson, after which he has established a portfolio career and now advises the executive teams of Hitachi, Syniti and several technology startups.

Rick Haythornthwaite, chair of NWG, thanked Yasmin Jetha for her contribution, and said: “I’m delighted to welcome Albert to the NWG board. Albert brings over 30 years’ expertise across technology, cyber and AI which are key areas of focus for the board and the wider bank. his financial services and technology experience will be a valuable asset to the board.”