Want to work for Tesco Bank in Edinburgh? This is what you need to know about the ex-actuary in charge

Tesco Bank has been one of the big hirers in Scotland in recent years. It now employs 3,000 people of whom 2,400 are based in Edinburgh. 

It’s hiring still, albeit in smaller numbers: there are currently 17 jobs on offer in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow. Most are IT-related positions, but one – interestingly – is for a risk-related analyst who can build models to calculate the impact of the Basel rules on Tesco’s business.

Tesco Bank is led by 51 year old ex-actuary Benny Higgins. Unless you’re interviewing for a super-senior position, you’re unlikely to come face to face with Higgins, but here are a few facts about one of Scotland’s most enduring bankers.

1. Higgins grew up in Paisley on the outskirts of Glasgow

He was going to be a footballer, but it wasn’t to be.

2. Higgins got a first in maths from Glasgow University

This was particularly impressive as he was the first person in his family to go to university.

3. He initially trained as an actuary

Higgins joined Standard Life in Edinburgh as an actuary and rose up through the ranks to a senior position before resigning in June 1997. He then joined RBS, where he worked for 10 years, before resigning to join HBOS.  He only worked there for a year before resigning after HBOS’s share of the mortgage market (via Halifax) fell to its lowest level in 7 years.

4. He likes literature

If you do have the good fortune to encounter Higgins himself in an interview, it may be an idea to mention a love of reading. Higgins is apparently a literary buff known for occasionally reciting obscure poems to authors at social events.