Suresh Balaji has joined Lloyds Banking Group as Chief Marketing Officer. He will oversee the group-wide Brand, Marketing and Experience function. Suresh will be responsible for creating and maintaining the Group’s strong, inclusive and sustainable portfolio of brands, developing marketing strategies, driving creative excellence, and designing customer experiences to contribute to business growth.

Suresh joins the Group from Standard Chartered Bank where he was Global Head of Marketing & Communications, leading the function across Consumer, Private and Business Banking, based in Hong Kong.

Prior to this, he spent 17 years at HSBC where he held various regional, country and global leadership roles, latterly as Chief Marketing Officer for the Asia-Pacific region. His earlier career includes marketing and sales roles at United Breweries, WPP and GSK.

Suresh, who has recently relocated to the UK, said: "To be Lloyds Banking Group’s CMO at this point in its history is truly an honour and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Lloyds Banking Group has helped millions of customers prosper over the course of its history, and there is no better time to be joining than now - to grow our brands, build world-class experiences and get creative for the wide range of customers the Group supports."

Jayne Opperman, Chief Executive Officer for Consumer Relationships, Lloyds Banking Group said: "I'm delighted to welcome Suresh to Lloyds Banking Group. As a highly accomplished marketing leader with an outstanding track record in financial services, his passion to create digital and data-led change will help us make a huge difference for our customers. I know he'll be a great addition to our team."