Anthony Watson (businessman)

Last updated

Anthony Watson
CBE
Anthony Watson.png
Watson in 2021
Born
Anthony Watson

London
Nationality British
Occupation(s) Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Employer The Bank of London

Anthony G. Watson CBE is a British business and technology executive, and human and LGBT rights activist. [1] [2] [3] In November 2021, Watson founded The Bank of London, a clearing, correspondent and wholesale bank, serving as Chief Executive Officer. [4] Since 2013 he has sat on the board of GLAAD. [2] In April 2015, he joined the Bitcoin trading start-up Uphold.com as its president and chief executive officer. [5]

Contents

He was listed 19th in Fortune 's 2014 "40 under 40" list, [2] fourth in Financial Times ' 2014 list of influential LGBT executives, [6] and 10th in The Guardian 's 2014 "World Pride Power List", where he was described as "one of the most influential gay men in the world." [7]

Career

A Christian who studied theology, Watson initially considered becoming a minister, but discovered he enjoyed working with technology while working part-time for AOL Ireland during his degree. As a result, he started working for First-e Bancorp (Europe's first internet bank), going on to take senior roles at Microsoft, CitiGroup and Unisys. [1] [8] Between 2006 and 2009, he was the senior vice president and global head of technology services at Wells Fargo, where he ran technology for the bank across 44 Counties. [3] [9]

Watson worked as chief information officer for Barclays' retail arm from 2009, overseeing the launch of several mobile apps including the bank's Pingit service for sending and receiving money, about which he said "The feedback we have had around Pingit in the media and on Twitter was amazing, we were in the top spot for a while with that launch, only porn stars get that sort of traffic." [9] [10] In interviews, he reported being responsible for a £3 billion annual IT budget. [11]

In February 2014, Watson left Barclays to move from the UK to the USA, where in April 2014 he begin working as chief information officer for Nike. [3] [9] In that role he signed a significant deal with Juniper Networks, and completed a five-year road map for IT strategy at the company. [10]

After 10 months at Nike, Watson left the company in December 2014. [12] This was announced as being for "personal reasons." Business Insider and Fortune both quoted unnamed sources who explained he was dissatisfied with life in Portland, Oregon, where he lived in order to work at Nike's Beaverton headquarters. [10] [13] [14] However Watson has stated neither Portland nor Beaverton contributed to his decision to leave. [15] [16]

Shortly after leaving Nike, Watson joined Uphold in April 2015 as its president and chief operating officer. [5] The then six-month-old company allows customers to trade in Bitcoin and hold more stable investments (currency or commodities) that are denominated in Bitcoin. Watson has stated he believes the company will help make the financial system fairer, saying "I wanted to do something that is valuable for people broadly, not just in one industry. And what Uphold is looking to achieve really democratizes finance. It's going to help people all over the world. The financial system is inherently unfair—it's always the richest who have access, and the poorest don’t have access, or when they do, they have to pay astronomical rates." [13]

Watson has also been a director of Digital Globe Services since 2013. [3]

In November 2021, Watson founded The Bank of London, a clearing, correspondent and wholesale bank operating in the UK, USA and Europe. [17] Watson had been working on developing the bank over 4 years. The bank launched on 30th November 2021 and in doing so became the UK's 6th clearing bank. [18] Watson stated that "existing providers have failed to adequately serve business customers and says it [ The Bank of London] plans to offer features including cheaper, faster and safer transactions". [19]

Activism

At Barclays, Watson was the co-chair of the bank's "global diversity & inclusion panel". [3] In 2013 he became the first non-US citizen to join the board of directors for the LGBT charity GLAAD, and he is an ambassador for the LGBT charity Stonewall. [1] [20] [21] He is a chair of the European Diversity Awards, as well as acting chair of the judges, and is a patron of the UK charity Diversity Role Models. [22] [23] He has spoken in schools about LGBT issues and careers. [8]

Watson came out to his family at age 21, but did not come out at work until about six years later. The Guardian quoted him saying, "I remember being shocked by a colleague using the term 'filthy queer' in a meeting, so much so that I had to pull him aside and say, 'I'm gay, and you don't get to use that language here. If you want to use it at home, that's your call, but in this context, you don't get to use that language.' That's actually why I came out at the time. It's important that people take a stand on these issues." [8]

Fortune has described Watson as "an outspoken gay rights activist," [13] while The Guardian has described him as "one of the most influential gay men in the world." [7]

Honours, awards and recognition

Watson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to the LGBT community, equality and diversity. [24]

Arms

Coat of arms of Anthony Watson
Arms Anthony Watson CBE.jpg
Notes
Arms, crest, and badge granted to Anthony Watson CBE by Letters Patent by Garter Principal King of Arms, on behalf of the Crown. Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary drafted and advanced the Memorial, the formal petition to the Earl Marshal. [37]
Adopted
College of Arms, 16 April 2024
Crest
Wreath Or and Azure A Harp the pillar and neck in the form of a demi winged Unicorn Or between a pair of Wings displayed barry Or and Azure the tips supporting a Rose Gules barbed and seeded proper.
Escutcheon
Or an Eagle displayed wings inverted Azure charged on the breast and each wing with a Rose Argent barbed and seeded Or on a Chief Azure a Lion passant guardant holding between the forepaws a Harp the pillar and neck in the form of a demi winged Unicorn Or stringed Argent.
Motto
EFFICITUR OCCASIO NON DATUR
Latin: An opportunity is made, not given
Orders
Encircled arms bearing the motto of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; “FOR GOD AND THE EMPIRE”, with pendent insignia suspended below signifying the barer has been honoured by the Crown and created a Commander of the esteemed order.
Badge
Within a Chaplet of Roses Gules barbed seeded and leaved proper a Harp the pillar and neck in the form of a demi winged Unicorn Or.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay village</span> Geographical area within a city that is inhabited or frequented by LGBT people

A gay village, also known as a gayborhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars and pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, boutiques, and bookstores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Brighton and Hove</span> Cultural and demographic feature of Brighton and Hove

The LGBT community of Brighton and Hove is one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Brighton, a seaside resort on the south coast of England, has been described in some media as a "gay capital" of the UK, with records pertaining to LGBT history dating back to the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Condou</span> British actor

Charlie Condou is a British actor, columnist and LGBT rights activist. Condou secured a series of television movie roles during his teenage years in the 1980s. He later had guest roles in British television series during the 1990s. In 2007, Condou gained wider recognition when he took the role of sonographer Marcus Dent in the soap opera Coronation Street, which he remained until 2014. He also played the role of Ben Sherwood in the medical drama Holby City. Condou has used his fame as a platform to promote LGBT rights, becoming a patron for charities and being an advocate for same-sex parenting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intercontinental Exchange</span> American exchange and clearing house company

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) is an American company formed in 2000 that operates global financial exchanges and clearing houses and provides mortgage technology, data and listing services. Listed on the Fortune 500, S&P 500, and Russell 1000, the company owns exchanges for financial and commodity markets, and operates 12 regulated exchanges and marketplaces. This includes ICE futures exchanges in the United States, Canada, and Europe; the Liffe futures exchanges in Europe; the New York Stock Exchange; equity options exchanges; and OTC energy, credit, and equity markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow flag (LGBT)</span> Symbol of the LGBT community

The rainbow flag or pride flag is a symbol of LGBT pride and LGBT social movements. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Using a rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBT pride began in San Francisco, California, but eventually became common at LGBT rights events worldwide.

The Outies, formally known as the Out & Equal Workplace Awards, is an annual awards gala hosted by Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. The Outies honor individuals and organizations that are leaders in advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees in America's workplaces. Through these awards, Out & Equal provides the business and LGBT communities with examples of innovative approaches and proven successes to help create safe and equitable workplaces. The awards are presented annually at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, a nationwide conference addressing LGBT issues in the workplace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyll Opoku-Gyimah</span> English human rights campaigner (born 1974)

Phyllis Akua Opoku-Gyimah, also known as Lady Phyll, is a British political activist known for her work for racial, gender and LGBT+ equality. She is Co-Founder and Chief Executive of UK Black Pride and former executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust.

Ashley Caroline Steel was the vice-chair and global head of transport for KPMG. Currently she holds non-executive roles on the boards of National Express, GoCo and the BBC. She has been named "one of the UK's most influential gay people".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Hackett</span> British activist (born 1991)

Liam Hackett is an activist, entrepreneur and author best known as the founder and CEO of the global youth charity Ditch the Label. Hackett is also known as one of the stars of Huffington Post's reality series, 'The New Activists' also appearing in MTV's Geordie OG's series one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bitstamp</span> Bitcoin exchange based in the UK

Bitstamp is a European cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2011. It is the world’s longest-running cryptocurrency exchange. It allows trading between fiat currency, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, such as USD, EUR, GBP, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Algorand, Stellar, and USD Coin. Business operations are conducted from its registered headquarters in Luxembourg City, with a satellite office in Ljubljana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of bitcoin</span> Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a digital asset that uses cryptography to control its creation and management rather than relying on central authorities. Originally designed as a medium of exchange, Bitcoin is now primarily regarded as a store of value. The history of bitcoin started with its invention and implementation by Satoshi Nakamoto, who integrated many existing ideas from the cryptography community. Over the course of bitcoin's history, it has undergone rapid growth to become a significant store of value both on- and offline. From the mid-2010s, some businesses began accepting bitcoin in addition to traditional currencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitalik Buterin</span> Canadian programmer (born 1994)

Vitaly Dmitrievich Buterin, better known as Vitalik Buterin, is a Canadian computer programmer and co-founder of Ethereum. Buterin became involved with cryptocurrency early in its inception, co-founding Bitcoin Magazine in 2011. In 2014, Buterin deployed the Ethereum blockchain with Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson, Anthony Di Iorio, and Joseph Lubin.

Elizabeth Anne Bingham OBE is a British businesswoman and president of R3, the industry body for restructuring professionals.

Suran Dickson is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the British charity Diversity Role Models, which works to reduce homophobic bullying in schools. She founded the charity in 2011.

myGwork LGBTQ+ recruitment and networking hub

myGwork is a business community for LGBTQ+ professionals, graduates, and inclusive employers. It aims to empower the LGBTQ+ community by providing members a safe space where they can connect with inclusive employers, find jobs, mentors, professional events and news.

Craig Steven Wright is an Australian computer scientist and businessman. He has publicly claimed to be the main part of the team that created bitcoin, and the identity behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. These claims are generally regarded as false by the media and the cryptocurrency community. In March 2024, Mr Justice James Mellor in the British High Court ruled that Wright is not Nakamoto. As of 2019, Wright lives in the United Kingdom.

Bitcoin was designed by its pseudonymous inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, to work as a currency, but its status as a currency is disputed. Economists define money as a store of value, a medium of exchange and a unit of account, and agree that bitcoin does not currently meet all these criteria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Cain (writer)</span> British writer and broadcaster (born 1974)

Matt Cain is a British writer and broadcaster. He is best known for the novels The Madonna of Bolton, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, Becoming Ted and One Love.

Claudia Lavergne Brind-Woody is an American business executive. She is the Vice President and Managing Director of intellectual property at IBM.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brettman, Alan (10 December 2014). "Nike chief information officer Anthony Watson resigns". OregonLive.com . Advance Digital . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "40 under 40". Fortune . Time. 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Anthony George Watson". Bloomberg Business . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Venkataramakrishnan, Siddharth (30 November 2021). "UK clearing bank set to launch with $1bn valuation". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 Cuthbertson, Anthony (13 April 2015). "Cryptocurrency round-up: Ex Nike executive Anthony Watson joins Bitreserve and bitcoin in Africa". International Business Times . Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 Law, Denise (9 October 2014). "The 100 out and proud heroes of the business world who have risen above barriers to success". Financial Times . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Paschali, Pas (28 June 2014). "World Pride Power List 2014: Top 10". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Hudson, David (30 August 2012). "Coming out at work: 'I'm gay, and you don't get to use that language here'". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Chillingworth, Mark (18 February 2014). "Barclays loses CIO Anthony Watson to Nike global role". CIO UK . IDG . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Roberts, Daniel (11 December 2014). "Nike just lost its CIO because of Portland". Fortune . Time . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Anthony Watson, CIO". CIO UK . IDG. 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  12. ↑ Norton, Steven (10 December 2014). "Nike CIO Anthony Watson Leaves Company, Citing Personal Reasons". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 Roberts, Daniel (6 April 2015). "The former CIO of Nike is joining a bitcoin startup". Fortune . Time . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Bort, Julie (11 December 2014). "Mystery Solved: The 'Boring' Real Reason Why The CIO Of Nike Left His Fabulous Job". Business Insider . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Brettman, Alan (19 December 2014). "The departed: Nike's IT chief and top Nike contractor worked at Barclays, but both now gone". OregonLive.com . Advance Digital . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  16. ↑ Watson, Anthony [@AnthonyWatson] (12 December 2014). "Despite what you might read, I've never said I hate or dislike #Portland or #Beaverton. Both are wonderful cities with amazing people" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 April 2015– via Twitter.
  17. ↑ Hosking, Patrick. "'Unicorn' Bank of London a game changer". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  18. ↑ O'Brien, Amy (30 November 2021). "New 'purpose-built' $1bn UK clearing bank launches in London". CityAM. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  19. ↑ "The Bank of London launches to tackle UK clearing market inefficiencies". Neopay. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  20. ↑ Bort, Julie (10 December 2014). "Exclusive: After Just 10 Months, Nike's CIO Is Gone". Business Insider . Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  21. ↑ Roberts, Scott (1 November 2013). "Gay British banking chief appointed to board of GLAAD". Pink News . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 "Rainbow List 2014, 1 to 101" . The Independent on Sunday . 9 November 2014. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "European Diversity Awards announce new head judge". The Guardian . 5 December 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B10.
  25. ↑ Macleod, Eilidh (16 January 2015). "Out at Work: The top 50 list of LGBT executives". The Telegraph . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "CIO 100". CIO UK . IDG. 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  27. ↑ Warren, Tiffany R. (21 September 2014). "Adcolor Announces Winners At The 8th Annual Adcolor Awards In Los Angeles". Adcolor. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "Who's who: Top 50 OUTstanding in Business List". Financial Times . 22 October 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  29. ↑ "World Pride Power List 2013: 100 most influential LGBT people of the year". The Guardian . 29 June 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  30. ↑ "The Independent on Sunday's Pink List 2013" . The Independent on Sunday . 13 October 2013. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  31. ↑ "CIO 100". CIO UK . IDG. 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  32. ↑ "Winners of the Out In The City and g3 Readers' Awards announced". The Guardian . 3 May 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  33. ↑ "Out & g3 readers awards 2013 – winners". British LGBT Awards. Square Peg Media. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  34. ↑ Jolin, Lucy; Delgado, Chance (7 July 2012). "World Pride Power List 2012: 100 most influential LGBT people of the year". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  35. ↑ "The IoS Pink List 2012" . The Independent on Sunday . 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  36. ↑ "European Diversity Awards shortlist". The Guardian . 25 July 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  37. ↑ "Watson, Anthony C.B.E." The Heraldry Society. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.