Cowie, who oversees banking to SMEs, undertook an in-depth tour of Bywaters’ London sites as part of an initiative to get bankers closer to the businesses they’re working with. Under the scheme, ‘Working With You’, every business banker throughout NatWest and RBS spends two days working with one of their customers over the course of a year.
The idea behind the initiative is that the bank’s relationship managers and leadership team will think like a business when they are interacting with their customers and will focus on what specific businesses need when making lending decisions.
Cowie started work at 6:30am and spent the morning on a refuse collection vehicle before spending the afternoon with the teams at Bywaters’ Lea Riverside and Gateway Road sites.
He said of his experience: “It’s been a real insight into the world of recycling and waste today to go round on a dust cart but also really satisfying to see how one of our customers supports the local community.
“I’d like to thank Bywaters for their hospitality and working me hard! This is an important initiative for us and it’s only right that I am a part of that in my role as CEO.”
Maxine Perella