Jeremy Rance appointed Barclays national director of retail and wholesale sector

Jeremy will lead Barclays nationwide network of specialists who deal exclusively with customers in the retail and wholesale sectors. Barclays retail and wholesale specialists have an extensive knowledge and considerable exposure to the sector and provide bespoke products and services for retailers with an annual turnover between £1m to £1bn to help achieve their expansion and growth goals.

Jeremy, who has been at Barclays for four years and was previously the Eastern regional director for Barclays Commercial Bank with 12,000 mid corporate clients, said he was "very honoured" to succeed Clarke.

"I'm delighted to be leading the UK Retail and Wholesale sector and I am proud of the fact that Barclays Commercial Bank is the leading banker to 33 of the Top 40 Retailers in the UK. We recognise that the Retail and Wholesale sector is a vital cog in the British economy and we are committed to delivering leading edge solutions and products to help our customers achieve their expansion and growth goals," he said.

Chris Grigg, CEO of Barclays Commercial Banking, paid tribute to Paul Clarke as he welcomed Jeremy Rance to the role. "Jeremy is a talented leader who demonstrates exceptional drive, ambition and focus on results. He will be working with an excellent management team to build upon the competitive strengths we already have in this sector.

"I would also like to pay tribute to Paul for his dedication to Barclays which has been outstanding over the past 40 years. We wish him all the best in his retirement."