Mishcon de Reya has recruited Alison Rose, the former chief executive of NatWest Group, as an advisor with a focus on its equity, diversity and inclusion strategy.

The appointment follows Rose resigning from the bank in July last year after controversy ignited by the closure of populist politician Nigel Farage’s bank accounts with the private bank Coutts, which NatWest owns. Rose stepped down after admitting to a "serious error of judgment" in discussing Farage's relationship with the bank with a BBC journalist.

Rose, who received a damehood in 2023, is one of the most high-profile businesswomen in the UK and is known for her focus on diversity and inclusion. She spent more than 20 years at NatWest in various leadership roles and in 2019 was invited by the UK Government to lead a review into female entrepreneurship.

At Mishcon Rose's role will involve mentoring "a small number" of the firm’s partners and she will also work closely with its equity, diversity and inclusion committee. 

“We are delighted that Alison has agreed to join Mishcon de Reya," said Vanessa Dewhurst, partner and chief people officer at the firm. "Advisors of Alison’s calibre and leadership are rare and we couldn’t be happier that we will enjoy the benefit of her expertise, particularly given our commitment to delivering on our ambitious EDI targets.” 

The appointment is Rose's second in the City following her exit from Natwest. She joined private equity group Charterhouse Capital Partners as an adviser in June.

Rose was forced to forgo £7.6mn in outstanding pay and bonuses from NatWest after the bank's board judged she was not a "good leaver" according to a Financial Times report. 

Top UK independent Travers Smith was appointed by NatWest Group to review account closure processes at Coutts in the wake of the controversy involving Farage. 

Travers' review said Rose had made "an honest mistake" in discussing Farage's accounts with a BBC journalist and believed Farage had already publicly confirmed he was a customer of Coutts. Travers also said Rose "played no part" in the decision to close Farage’s accounts.