Barclays doubles down on execution: Craig Bright and Anne Marie Darling appointed as new Co-Chief Operating Officers (Co-COOs)

Barclays appoints two COOs for its execution division. Craig Bright and Anne Marie Darling will lead the global efficiency plan.

Barclays has announced a dual appointment to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for its execution division – Barclays Execution Services. Craig Bright and Anne Marie Darling are taking over leadership from Alistair Currie, at a time when the British bank is restructuring its operations to cut £2 billion in costs by 2026.

This decision marks a new distributed leadership approach, combining Bright’s technology expertise with Darling’s experience in client relationships and regulatory matters.

Intrapreneurial profiles:

Craig Bright served as CIO at Westpac and JPMorgan, bringing a clear vision for modernizing banking infrastructure.

Anne Marie Darling comes from a background in institutional relations and compliance, and has led global teams within Barclays.

“As I step into my new role as Co-Chief Operating Officer at Barclays, it’s an honor to spend time with our teams in India this week. This visit is an opportunity to listen, to learn, and to witness firsthand the scale of the work being done – from core operations to some of our most innovative technology programs. The level of expertise and commitment from the teams is evident and highlights how critical this capability is to our overall success. Thank you to everyone taking the time to share perspectives and experiences. I look forward to continued collaboration as we strengthen and evolve how we deliver value to our clients,” Anne Marie Darling wrote on her LinkedIn profile.

Both are regarded as organizational intrapreneurs – internal reformers capable of transforming rigid banking structures into agile mechanisms.