Interview: Jennifer Scott, NatWest, Women in Tech Excellence Awards finalist

‘You can deliver a platform or reach a milestone, but lasting change comes when people are empowered to drive continuous improvement themselves’

The Women in Tech Excellence Awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of women in all areas of technology, from software development and engineering to AI, cybersecurity, and beyond.

Jennifer Scott leads the digital technology platforms and services used by NatWest’s commercial and institutional customers.

Beginning her career as a software developer, Jennifer has progressed to senior leadership roles across UBS, Deutsche Bank, and NatWest. Today, she brings together technology, strategy, and customer insight to lead large-scale digital, data, and AI transformation.

As part of her role, Jennifer is leading the transformation of Bankline which is NatWest's core digital channel for businesses. The transformation is modernising essential payment and account-management journeys, seamlessly connecting customers to a wider range of products, and strengthening the engineering foundations that underpin the platform.

Jennifer is a finalist in both the Digital Leader of the Year and Woman of the Year categories.

What prompted you to enter the Women in Tech Excellence Awards this year?

This year is a defining point in my career. Over the past three years, I’ve been leading the transformation of Bankline, NatWest’s core digital channel for businesses. These awards have given me an opportunity to reflect personally on that journey and how much my role and impact have grown. I’ve been able to bring together my experience as an engineer and technology leader and apply it at scale, in both the technology transformation we’re delivering, and through how our teams work and deliver.

As the UK’s biggest bank for business, it felt like the right time to showcase the vital role our teams play in meeting business needs across the UK.

What would winning this award mean to both your people and your customers/partners?

It would be a huge personal honour, but it would also recognise what we’ve built together. I’ve worked to create a culture where people get the opportunity to develop through real ownership and leadership, so I hope winning would show my teams that their hard work and commitment to customers is visible beyond our organisation.

For our customers, I hope this demonstrates our relentless focus on working to meet their needs. Winning would also give me a stronger platform to support emerging talent. I remember being a young female software engineer and I want talented women coming behind me to have the sponsorship, visibility, and opportunities that help them to build their careers and pave a path to leadership positions.

What would you say was your company's proudest achievement of the last year?

I’m proud to have led this transformation, but what also stands out is the change in the people delivering it. Engineers increasingly describe their work through the difference it makes to customers, rather than only the technology they produce. People have stepped forward, taken ownership of complex outcomes, and grown into broader leadership roles. For me, that’s what makes transformation sustainable. You can deliver a platform or reach a milestone, but lasting change comes when people are empowered to drive continuous improvement themselves. Seeing what people become capable of when they are given trust has been rewarding

What have been the biggest challenges of the current year so far? How have your people or partners helped?

The biggest challenge has been carrying the scrutiny and pressure of leading transformation at scale while retaining focus and clarity around the long-term vision. At one point, I made the difficult decision to reset part of our approach, accepting an impact on short-term progress to protect long-term customer outcomes. It reinforced for me that leadership sometimes means holding your nerve, having uncomfortable conversations, and returning people to a shared purpose when the route forward is uncertain.

I didn’t do that alone. Colleagues challenged and supported me, teams took shared ownership, and mentors and advisers helped me retain perspective.

What do you see as the main opportunities for your industry in the coming 12 months? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

The biggest opportunity over the next 12 months is to move beyond simply improving digital banking as it exists today and start reimagining what it could become. Advances in AI, data, and modernised platforms give us the potential to create experiences that are simpler and more meaningful for customers, while bringing together the best of technology and human expertise.

My focus will be on turning that potential into meaningful outcomes: setting clear ambitions, strengthening partnerships, and creating an environment where our teams can experiment, learn quickly and challenge established approaches. Technology creates extraordinary possibilities, but realising them depends on understanding what customers need, bringing people with you and having the confidence to rethink how things are done.

The Women in Tech Excellence Awards takes place on 26th November in London. Click here to view the list of finalists!