Focused on providing 'outstanding customer service' its unique culture is central to the bank’s success. Metro Bank listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2016, is the fastest-growing bank in Europe, and was named Moneywise’s Most Trusted Financial Provider 2017 and highly commended for 2018. Harmer has helped build an outstanding executive team and created a unique approach to culture and training that attracts and develops great people; Metro Bank was a top 50 Glassdoor employer in 2017 and CEO Craig Donaldson was voted HR magazine’s Most People-Focused CEO for 2017 and a top 10 Glassdoor CEO for 2018.
Metro Bank takes a unique and innovative approach to everything it does for its employees. The focus is on brilliant training and relentless simplification so that every colleague feels set up to surprise and delight the customer. For example, the traditional nine-box talent grid does not exist at Metro Bank and has been replaced by talent families that are simple, effective and aligned to the bank’s model and culture.
Passionate about diversity, Harmer is the executive ally for Mpride (the bank’s LGBT+ group) and was recognised as a Financial Times OUTstanding Top Ally Executive in 2017. She is also a frequent media commentator on HR including participating in a recent panel on ‘side hustles’ at Henley Business School with none other than Professor Green. She is also featured in the website supporting June Sarpong’s book Diversify.
Prior to Metro Bank, Harmer worked in people roles at Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and HBOS. Unusually she only moved into the HR profession in 2003 and spent her early career in customer network and operations roles in retail banking. This helped spark her relentless focus on the customer and on the link between culture and customer experience.
An economics and business economics graduate from the University of Southampton, Harmer is a chartered fellow of the CIPD and a court member for the Guild of HR Professionals where she also chairs its charitable trust.
Outside work she runs a ‘mummycabs’ service for her three children; a responsibility she shares with her husband George.
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Harmer's Twitter account: https://twitter.com/harmerwilliams
Metro Bank Twitter account: https://twitter.com/Metro_Bank
Metro Bank Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/metro_bank
