Alison Rose joins law firm that advised her on NatWest exit

The former boss of NatWest who left the bank over the Nigel Farage account closure scandal has taken a job at the law firm that advised her on her exit from the lender.
Dame Alison Rose is joining Mishcon de Reya to advise on its diversity and inclusion strategy and to mentor some of its partners. The announcement of Rose’s advisory role comes after it emerged in June that Charterhouse, a private equity firm, had also appointed her as a senior adviser.
Rose, 54, already has a relationship with Mishcon. The Times reported last year that the high-profile firm had helped her as the terms of her NatWest exit were being ironed out.
Mishcon is best known for having represented the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in her divorce.
Rose’s rise to the top of the FTSE 100 bank had made her one of Britain’s most powerful businesswomen but her career was upended by the Farage fiasco, which led to her abrupt departure from the bank in July last year. That scandal also drew attention to her interest in diversity and inclusivity in business, which she had championed while at the lender.
The debacle erupted when Farage, the Reform Party leader, revealed that the Coutts private banking arm of NatWest was dropping him as a client. He obtained Coutts internal documents showing that its reputational risk committee believed that his public views “were at odds with our position as an inclusive organisation”.
Rose was engulfed in the furore when it emerged she had spoken to a BBC journalist about the Farage situation. She left the bank when the government, which is NatWest’s biggest shareholder, signalled it had lost confidence in her.
While NatWest made no findings of misconduct against Rose, she forfeited £7.6 million of pay because the circumstances of her exit meant she was not deemed a “good leaver” under the terms of the bank’s executive pay policies.
Vanessa Dewhurst, Mishcon’s chief people officer, said the firm was “delighted” that Rose was joining, adding: “Advisers of Alison’s calibre and leadership are rare.”