C. Hoare & Co., the London private bank founded in 1672, has named Simon Kenyon as its new chief executive.
Formerly a senior adviser at Boston Consulting Group, Kenyon announced this morning that he would be heading up the historic lender. He succeeds Diana Brightmore-Armour, who has led the bank since June 2021, and takes the helm of a business that posted a £63.7 million pre-tax profit for the year to March 2025, down from £80.8 million the previous year. Total income fell to £249 million from £272 million, according to the bank’s most recent accounts.
Founded by goldsmith Richard Hoare on Cheapside in the City of London during the reign of Charles II, the firm evolved from a goldsmith’s shop into a private bank. In the 17th century, goldsmiths often acted as proto-bankers, safeguarding valuables and extending credit.
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Although it is not the oldest bank in the world – Italy’s Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena was established in 1472 and Berenberg Bank in 1590 – C. Hoare & Co. retains the distinction of being the oldest bank still owned by a single family. Berenberg is no longer solely family-owned.
The bank has remained under the stewardship of the Hoare family for 12 generations, with its eight current partners drawn from the 10th, 11th and 12th generations. Kenyon is not a member of the Hoare family.
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Its clients over the centuries have included Samuel Pepys, Jane Austen and Lord Byron. The Fleet Street headquarters retains much of its historic character, including original Victorian counters and Napoleonic-era muskets – once the bank’s method of security – mounted on the walls beside portraits of past partners. In a 2024 interview with the Telegraph, partner and director Bella Hoare described the interior as resembling a cross between the bank in Mary Poppins and Gringotts in Harry Potter.
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Commenting on the appointment, the bank’s chair, Lord Macpherson of Earls Court, said: ‘In Simon we have identified the right person to assume the role of CEO as we continue to ensure that C. Hoare & Co. is as relevant for our customers in the future as it has been for the last 350 years.’
Kenyon described C. Hoare & Co. as ‘a truly unique bank”, adding that he looked forward to helping the partners prepare “for the next generation of customers whilst maintaining C. Hoare & Co.’s core purpose of being good bankers and good citizens.’
Today the firm serves around 15,000 customers, including many of Britain’s largest landowning families, and continues to operate from its historic Fleet Street headquarters.
