Graham Ruddick- 18 March 2025
Allica Bank has been Britain's fastest-growing company over the past few years, according to a collection of different reports that track this. This growth has been driven by Richard Davies, the chief executive. He arrived at Allica in 2020 from Revolut to what was, effectively, a blank sheet of paper – the bank had a licence and funding, but its founder had departed and it made paid out only £5m in loans.
Since then, Allica has been transformed into a thriving digital bank for small and medium-sized businesses. At the heart of this transformation has been an approach inspired by what Davies has learned from his varied career and a book, The Geek Way, that provides a playbook for modern businesses.
In this episode of the Business Leader Podcast, Graham Ruddick speaks to Davies about the story behind Allica, why small and medium-sized businesses need a better bank and the outlook for the UK economy.
Related and recommended
Eric Johnson leads an online platform focused on the value of collecting feedback, a principle he applies to his own company
The prime minister is seeing his popularity – and his authority – fade as a series of costly U-turns make tax rises ever more likely
Watson has had a number of business disappointments but seems to be on to a winner with her new sustainable clothing brand
The technology is being used to redefine leadership, strategy and time management for modern bosses