Antony Jenkins

Antony Jenkins
Name	Antony Jenkins
Caption	Antony Jenkins in 2016
Birth date	1961
Birth place	United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Occupation	Banker; executive; entrepreneur
Known for	Former chief executive of Barclays plc; founder of 10x Future Technologies

Antony Jenkins is a British banker and business executive who served as chief executive officer of Barclays plc from 2012 to 2015 and later founded technology and consulting ventures focused on financial services transformation. He has held senior roles across retail banking, risk management, strategy and operations at multinational financial services firms, and has been a prominent voice on governance, corporate culture and fintech innovation. Jenkins's career spans leadership positions within Barclays, startup ecosystems, and advisory boards for institutions and initiatives in the United Kingdom and internationally.

Early life and education

Jenkins was born in London and grew up in a family with ties to Lancashire and Greater Manchester. He was educated at state schools before attending Loughborough University where he studied economics and sports science, and subsequently completed postgraduate studies at London Business School and pursued executive education at institutions such as INSEAD and Harvard Business School. His formative years intersected with local community sports clubs and regional industry networks in England, which influenced his later emphasis on leadership, ethics and community engagement.

Banking career

Jenkins began his banking career at Barclays in the 1980s, working in retail and commercial operations across branches in London and regional centres. He progressed through roles in branch management, risk and change programmes, later becoming head of Barclays Retail Bank and overseeing operations across multiple markets including United Kingdom, Africa and Europe. Jenkins also led strategic initiatives tied to mortgage portfolios, customer service transformation and regulatory compliance following major industry events such as the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

In 2009 Jenkins was appointed head of the Group's retail banking and wealth management businesses, and he served on the Barclays plc board. His remit encompassed digital channels, branch networks, and product development in competition with firms such as HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Santander, Royal Bank of Scotland and challengers emerging from the financial technology sector. Jenkins's experience included working with regulatory bodies like the Financial Conduct Authority and engaging with institutional stakeholders including boards, investor groups and trade associations.

CEO of Barclays

In 2012 Jenkins succeeded Bob Diamond as chief executive officer of Barclays plc during a period marked by legal, regulatory and reputational challenges stemming from scandals including the Libor scandal. His appointment followed interventions by the UK Treasury and scrutiny from parliamentary committees and international regulators. As CEO he launched programmes to restore public trust, reshape corporate culture, and refocus the bank on core retail and corporate banking franchises to compete with incumbents such as Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, UBS and new entrants in global banking.

Jenkins introduced strategic priorities addressing conduct, controls and capital allocation, and sought to strengthen relationships with institutional investors including BlackRock and Vanguard as well as sovereign and pension fund stakeholders. His tenure included cost-reduction initiatives, divestments in non-core assets, and investment in technology and compliance systems in response to enforcement actions by authorities including the Serious Fraud Office and international regulators. Jenkins faced shareholder pressures and governance debates involving figures such as John Varley and boards that led to a high-profile departure in 2015 when succession decisions involved Brexit-era market considerations and shifting investor demands.

Post-Barclays ventures and 10x Banking

After leaving Barclays, Jenkins shifted focus to fintech entrepreneurship and consulting, founding advisory and incubation businesses that partnered with incumbents and startups including collaborations in Silicon Valley, London and Singapore. He founded 10x Future Technologies (trading as 10x Banking), a cloud-native core banking platform designed to modernise legacy systems used by banks including regional players and challenger banks such as Monzo, Starling Bank and other retail-focused institutions. 10x positioned itself amid a landscape that includes platform providers, core processors and cloud incumbents like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure.

Jenkins became an advocate for platform-based transformation, open architecture and customer-centric product design, engaging with venture capital firms, central banks and industry consortia such as UK Finance and cross-border initiatives aimed at payments modernisation. He also participated in advisory roles for impact and philanthropic organisations, contributing to debates involving sustainable finance, diversity and governance reforms promoted by entities like the Institute of Directors and Financial Reporting Council.

Personal life and honours

Jenkins has maintained involvement with charitable and sporting organisations, supporting youth development programmes and community sports clubs linked to Loughborough University alumni networks and regional charities in Greater Manchester. He has been appointed to or participated in advisory boards and councils associated with academic institutions including London Business School and has received recognitions from business groups and industry bodies for leadership in transformation and corporate responsibility. Jenkins's honours and awards have included industry citations and invitations to speak at forums such as the World Economic Forum and national events focused on financial services innovation.

Category:British business executives Category:Alumni of Loughborough University Category:Barclays people