HBOS names charity chief

HBOS has named Ray Macfarlane as its new head of group community relations, in charge of the banking group’s UK-wide sponsorship and charitable programmes.

Macfarlane will also be in charge of government relations. HBOS spends about £4m a year on sponsorship, and is committed to giving away £20m over the next five years to local charities.

Macfarlane is best-known as managing director, operations, at economic development agency Scottish Enterprise. She left the agency in March 2000 after a restructure and joined the Bank of Scotland, where she was senior director of market development in the business banking division.

A month ago, she was named non-executive chairman of Scottish Screen, the body tasked with developing Scotland’s film, television and computer games industry.

In her new role at HBOS, Macfarlane will oversee a range of sponsorship activities, including the Bank of Scotland Premier League (worth more than £1.5m a year for three years) and the Scottish Commonwealth Games Team. Bank of Scotland is Scotland’s largest commercial sponsor of the arts and youth sport.

Macfarlane also heads the HBOS Foundation, with an annual budget of £4m for the next five years, which is earmarked for community giving. HBOS says it will be focusing on improving financial literacy and access to financial advice, and on schemes to develop local communities.