Royal London appoints Louise Gelling as Group Chief Risk Officer

Royal London has today announced the appointment of Louise Gelling as Group Chief Risk Officer.

Louise will join in September (subject to regulatory approval), and will succeed James McCourt, who will retire at the end of this year.

Louise brings over 25 years’ experience in financial services, with a strong track record in leading risk, compliance, regulatory change and transformation. Most recently, she was Interim Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at M&G plc. Prior to this, Louise held senior risk roles at UBS for eight years, and began her career at Deloitte, where she spent 15 years in audit and advisory roles focused on banking and capital markets clients.  

Barry O’Dwyer, Chief Executive Officer, Royal London, said:  

“I am pleased to welcome Louise to Royal London as our new Group Chief Risk Officer. She brings extensive leadership experience in risk, compliance and regulatory change, and will play an important role as we continue to deliver for advisers, customers and clients.  

“I want to thank James for his outstanding leadership and dedication over the years. He has made a significant contribution to Royal London, and I wish him a very happy retirement.” 

Louise Gelling said: “I’m really pleased to be joining Royal London. Its customer-owned model is a real strength, and I’m looking forward to playing my part in helping the business continue to grow in a way that is responsible and focused on delivering good outcomes for customers.” 

Louise Gelling Biography  

Louise Gelling is a senior risk and compliance leader with extensive experience in financial services. She has held senior roles at M&G plc, UBS and Deloitte, with a track record in leading global risk frameworks, regulatory programmes and organisational transformation.

Most recently, Louise served as Interim Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at M&G plc, reporting to the CEO and sitting on the Group Executive Committee. She led a global Risk and Compliance function and was responsible for group-wide risk and compliance oversight. Prior to this, she was Chief Risk Officer for Non-Financial Risk, leading a global team responsible for the design and implementation of the firm’s risk management framework and oversight of operational, cyber, technology, data and reputational risks.  

Before joining M&G, Louise spent eight years at UBS, where she held senior roles including Global Head of Operational Risk. She led large international teams and was responsible for the operational risk framework and oversight of areas including cyber, information security, third-party, data and privacy risk.  

Louise began her career at Deloitte, where she spent 15 years in audit and advisory roles focused on banking and capital markets clients, later becoming a Director in Audit and Assurance.  She is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, holds an ACA qualification, and has a BSc in Maths and Management Studies from the University of Nottingham.