New chairman at Charity Bank

George Blunden has been appointed as chairman of Charity Bank, the only regulated bank in the UK that is also a registered general charity.

Blunden said: "As a financer by background and a community worker at heart, I am delighted to be appointed Chairman of Charity Bank. I am privileged to be joining Charity Bank at such a critical point in its development and look forward to working with the Board and management team to further our mission to finance charities and other social profit organisations that address society's needs."

Malcolm Hayday, chief executive, added: "George Blunden combines hands-on financial expertise and a thorough understanding of business needs with relevant charity sector experience. I am delighted that he has agreed to take on the role of Chairman of Charity Bank and look forward to working with him to transform the future of charities and social profit organisations and the communities they serve."

Prior to joining Charity Bank, Blunden took early retirement at the end of 2009 from the investment management firm AllianceBernstein, where he was an integral part of the team that built AllianceBernstein in Europe from a small firm in 1998 into a leading investment management firm.

His fulltime career has ranged from Adventure Playgrounds to investment banking and fund management.

In addition he has always been involved in charitable activities including being a former chair of Southern Housing Group, one of the largest housing associations in the UK.

At present he is chair of Raglan Housing Association, a non-executive director of both an insurance company and an investment advisory firm