A CEO’s Guide to Resilience: Insights from NatWest’s Dame Alison Rose on Facing Challenges
Resilience is one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around in leadership circles—usually stripped of its complexity. But for Dame Alison Rose, who led NatWest Group through Brexit turbulence, pandemic disruption, and the evolving demands of a 21st-century financial system, resilience isn’t just a trait. It’s a practice. She’s highlighted in this piece as a leader whose authenticity and steadiness redefined how women in finance are perceived.
Rose, the first woman to serve as CEO of a major UK bank, brought a distinctly steady hand to moments of upheaval. But her version of strength didn’t come from pretending things were fine. It came from being willing to meet reality head-on—no matter how uncomfortable.
Her approach to leadership under pressure was marked by transparency and grounded decision-making. When other institutions defaulted to defensiveness, Rose leaned into communication—internally and externally. She understood that during times of uncertainty, employees and stakeholders alike crave clarity, not control. “People don’t need you to have all the answers,” she’s emphasized in past reflections. “They need you to stay in the room.”
Resilience, in Rose’s experience, is built long before a crisis hits. She emphasized the importance of culture as infrastructure—a workplace where people feel empowered to raise concerns, take ownership, and adapt without fear. By fostering psychological safety, she created the conditions for a more agile, cohesive response when the unexpected arrived. Her insightful reflections on values-driven leadership trace back to the belief that resilience without purpose quickly becomes rigidity.
She also viewed personal resilience as non-negotiable. For Rose, this meant setting boundaries around her own energy, balancing high performance with periods of recovery, and resisting the temptation to be constantly reactive. She encouraged leaders to develop emotional regulation as a skill—because the ability to pause, reflect, and act with intention can shape the trajectory of an entire organization.
Another key pillar? Values. Rose anchored her toughest decisions in purpose: customer trust, inclusion, and long-term sustainability. Whether addressing reputational challenges or steering the bank through digital transformation, she returned to these guideposts again and again. They didn’t make decisions easier—but they made them clearer. The Business in the Community profile of Dame Alison Rose underscores her commitment to inclusive economic systems and stakeholder-centered resilience.
Now working in advisory roles across finance and impact investing, Dame Alison Rose continues to advocate for a more humane, grounded model of leadership. In her view, resilience isn’t about being unshakeable—it’s about staying present, aligned, and responsive even when the ground shifts beneath your feet.
Because in the end, real leadership isn’t about weathering storms. It’s about becoming the kind of person who can help others through them.