22 Facts About Stephen Hester

Stephen Hester is Chairman of Nordea Bank and easyJet and former chief executive officer of RSA Insurance Group, of RBS Group and of British Land.

Stephen Hester was born in Ithaca, NY, USA but grew up primarily in the village of Crayke in North Yorkshire.

Stephen Hester was educated at Easingwold School in North Yorkshire a rural comprehensive school, and at Oxford where he studied at Lady Margaret Hall, and after chairing the Tory Reform Group, graduated with a first class honours degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Stephen Hester has had an extensive business career including holding the Chief Executive position at three FTSE 100 companies over a 17 year period.

Stephen Hester began his career in 1982 with investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston, where he started in corporate finance and then served a year as the chairman's assistant.

Stephen Hester was appointed a Director in 1987 and a Managing Director in 1988 aged 27.

Stephen Hester held the position of Chief Financial Officer and Head of Support Division, until May 2000.

In November 2004, Stephen Hester was appointed Chief Executive of the FTSE 100 property company British Land succeeding Sir John Ritblat the company's founder.

Stephen Hester was appointed non-executive deputy chairman of the newly nationalised Northern Rock by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling in March 2008, a role which he resigned from in September 2008 to take a non-executive position on the board of Royal Bank of Scotland.

On 12 June 2013 Royal Bank of Scotland announced that Stephen Hester would be stepping down as CEO in December 2013, after five years with the bank.

On 4 February 2014, Stephen Hester joined RSA Insurance Group, the FTSE100 insurer, as CEO.

In June 2016 Stephen Hester was appointed to the Board of Centrica the FTSE 100 energy Group as Senior Independent Director which he stepped down from in June 2022.

Stephen Hester joined the Board of easyJet, the leading European airline, on 1st September 2021 becoming Chairman on 1st December 2021.

Stephen Hester was appointed Lead Independent Director of Kyndryl in November 2021.

On 1st April 2022 Stephen Hester joined the Board of Nordea Bank abp as Vice Chairman, and became Chairman on 1st October 2022.

Stephen Hester married Canadian-born Barbara Abt in 1991, and they have two children together.

Stephen Hester bought the 400-acre Broughton Grange estate in Oxfordshire in 1992.

One of Stephen Hester's passions is said to be development of the gardens and arboretum at Broughton Grange, part of which was designed by landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith and includes pleached limes, formal beds and five of the first Australian Wollemi pines to be brought into the UK.

For nine years Stephen Hester was a trustee of the Foundation and Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Stephen Hester has in the past donated to the Conservative Party.

Stephen Hester enjoys tennis, running and shooting, as well as skiing, for which he owns a chalet in Verbier, Switzerland.

Stephen Hester used to enjoy horse riding, as his first wife was a master of fox hounds in Warwickshire.