Bank Non-Executive Director — Technology Outsourcing and Third-Party Risk

An experienced governor of outsourced services

Candidates should have substantial senior banking operations, technology, risk or procurement-governance experience. They need an understanding of service continuity, data controls and the limits of third-party assurance. Experience with a major outsourcing transition, provider failure or exit is particularly relevant.

Applicants must be able to communicate dependencies clearly and challenge specialists without assuming their own expertise covers every technical detail. Board experience is valuable where it demonstrates collective judgement and appropriate reliance on independent evidence.

Decide what the bank must retain

Review the rationale for significant outsourcing arrangements, including retained capabilities and accountability. Examine how service expectations, data access, subcontracting and exit rights translate into practical resilience. Ask whether contractual protections can actually be exercised and whether alternatives are credible within the time available.

Concentration below the direct supplier

Challenge concentration reporting that considers providers separately while overlooking shared infrastructure or subcontractors. Assess the impact of change programmes that increase dependency without revisiting the risk assessment. Require clear ownership of ongoing monitoring and the resolution of service or control deficiencies.

Transition economics and practical exit

The director should ensure that cost and innovation benefits are considered alongside implementation, transition and exit costs. Board papers need to explain what the bank would do if a relationship became unacceptable, not simply state that an exit plan exists.

Collective accountability for the decision

The appointment calls for banking governance experience combined with practical understanding of outsourcing. It does not involve managing procurement or directing supplier negotiations. The director's contribution is informed challenge of decisions whose consequences extend beyond immediate cost savings.

The director will help the board make deliberate outsourcing choices, understand residual exposure and follow material corrective actions. Appointment eligibility, independence and conflicts with service providers will be assessed. Management retains responsibility for supplier operations and contractual execution. Success is a more credible account of dependency and continuity, with decisions grounded in what the institution can actually control, monitor and recover rather than in the apparent completeness of contractual documentation.