Naomi Kingsley, Founder and Chief Executive
Naomi Kingsley is founder and CEO of London Rebuilding Society (LRS). A lawyer and anthropologist may not seem the most appropriate background for an alternative banker, but it led her to work in economic development for over 20 years, crossing the public, private and community sectors.
It was this experience that provided her with a real understanding of the issues facing London's disadvantaged communities, and formed the springboard of her passion for community development finance, and for LRS.
After a Harkness Fellowship spent researching Community Development Banking in the USA, Naomi returned to the UK with the ambition to establish a Community Bank in London. She ran a regeneration business, and worked with Ed Mayo and the New Economics Foundation to lobby and advocate for a policy framework for community banking in the UK, and also established a partnership of advisors who helped her to set up LRS in 2000.
Naomi is a founding member of the Community Development Finance Association (CDFA), and is its current Chair, as well as being the Chair of NEWTEC and a Governor of Newham College of Further Education. She also currently sits on the Investment Committee of Futurebuilders.
Email: naomi.kingsley@londonrebuilding.com