Contributor(s): Stephen Hester | Stephen Hester took over as Royal Bank of Scotland CEO after the UK Government was forced to rescue the bank from the brink of collapse during the financial crisis. Three and a half years after launching its recovery plan, the bank is in much stronger health. But like the rest of the banking industry, RBS continues to confront serious reputational damage as past mistakes slowly come into full view of regulators, media, and the wider public. Hester will explain how a key linking factor behind the scandals currently affecting the industry has been its approach to customers. And he will argue that improving that approach is the key to fixing both the culture and performance of the banks we all rely on. Stephen Hester was appointed group chief executive of RBS Group on 21 November 2008. He was previously chief executive of The British Land Company PLC, chief operating officer of Abbey National plc and prior to that held positions with Credit Suisse First Boston including chief financial officer, head of fixed income and co-head of European investment banking. In 2008 he served as a non-executive director of Northern Rock plc.