Bank of London CEO Leaves After Less Than a Year

The Bank of London has replaced its third Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Horne, in a little over a year. With Horne departing, he will now be replaced by Tony Bullman, who has been serving as the Chief Financial Officer over the last several months.

Third CEO To Leave In A Year

The bank has seen three other CEOs come and go in only a little over a year, which started when its founder and initial CEO, Anthony Watson, departed due to criticism over a winding-up order by UK tax authorities over unpaid bills at the real-time clearing, payments, and settlement bank. 

He was replaced by Stephen Bell, who briefly held the top position, until Mangrove Capital Partners led a £42 million capital injection to rescue the outfit, which resulted in Bell being replaced by Christopher Horne. 

Horne became the CEO of the Bank of London back in January of this year, when the bank noted that his appointment marks an important step in its transformational journey under new ownership led by Mangrove Capital Partners. At the time, the appointment served to highlight the bank’s commitment to innovation, governance, and long-term growth.

It is worth noting that he joined the Bank of London after a stint as the CEO of Credit Suisse’s UK subsidiaries. However, according to reports, he left last month and now holds a part-time directorate role at the clearing bank’s holding company. 

Horne Leaves The Bank of London During A Probe By UK Regulators

Horne’s departure comes after the bank confirmed back in May that it was under investigation by UK regulators in a move its auditors warned could cast significant doubt over its future. The probe is still ongoing as of late November 2025.

Following Horne’s departure, the bank installed its fourth CEO in a little over a year, Tony Bullman. Bullman initially joined earlier this year, becoming the new CFO, alongside Tom Howie, who joined as the Chief Transformation Officer. 

Before joining the Bank of London, Bullman worked at UBS, where he was the CFO of the Non-Core and Legacy Division. In an announcement made at the time, the bank noted that his experience spans 40 years in financial services across a number of European banks, including ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and UBS.

Now, after only a few months as the CFO, Bullman became the new Chief Executive.