Nest has announced the appointment of Ian Cornelius as its interim CEO, effective from 1 May 2024, following a short handover period from outgoing CEO, Helen Dean.

Cornelius recently worked at Skipton Building Society as interim group CEO, having previously been Skipton’s commercial & strategy director for a decade.

He brings 25 years of experience in senior executive roles with leading financial services brands to his new role at Nest.

In his new role, Cornelius will also join Nest’s board and take on the role of accounting officer.

The appointment is expected to run for 12 months while a permanent CEO is recruited and onboarded, with an open process to appoint a permanent CEO set to run during 2024.

Commenting on the news, Nest chair, Brendan McCafferty, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ian Cornelius as our interim CEO.

"Ian’s expertise and insight will be very valuable as we build on our achievements and accelerate our purpose-driven plans that put our low to middle-income members at the heart of everything we do.”

Adding to this, Cornelius said: “I’m excited to be joining Nest as it continues to develop. The organisation has a unique and purposeful place in the sector and I’m looking forward to supporting the next phase of its future.”

He will take over from Helen Dean who announced last year that she would be stepping down from her role and will be leaving on the 30 April.

McCafferty added: “I would like to thank Helen for her leading role over decades in creating and then leading Nest as CEO for eight years.

“Her tireless focus on improving financial outcomes for all – including perhaps the most underserved in society - will transform the financial resilience and retirement of millions of citizens across the United Kingdom. She leaves an incredible and long-lasting legacy.”

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