The Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS) today announces that Alexandra Marks CBE, Chief Adjudicator, has stepped down from her role at the BBRS for personal reasons. We wish Alexandra well in the future. We thank her for her outstanding contribution to the set up of the BBRS, overseeing the fair and consistent resolution of SME banking disputes, and for her instrumental role as a Board Director over the past two years.

In her time at the BBRS, Alexandra has worked closely with Sally Berlin, deputy Chief Adjudicator, and Sally has been a key figure in BBRS’s delivery. As Deputy Chief Adjudicator Sally has overseen complex decisions around our final determinations as well as assisting in case decisions around eligibility appeals, service complaints and concessionary case recommendations. She has been responsible for casework quality procedures, quality and consistency of outcomes and provides ‘lessons learned’ service improvement actions to the banks.

The BBRS board is delighted that Sally has agreed to take on the role as Interim Chief Adjudicator and that the independence of our adjudication process remains safeguarded.

Lewis Shand Smith, Chair of the BBRS Board said: ‘We wish to thank Alexandra for her outstanding contribution to the BBRS and for overseeing the adjudication process over the past two years. Alexandra joined the BBRS at a pivotal time and as a Board we are enormously grateful for her commitment to both BBRS customers and colleagues during this time.’

Alexandra Marks, former Chief Adjudicator, adds: ‘The BBRS has been set up to deliver a route to resolving banking complaints for SMEs that previously didn’t exist. I am proud of the work undertaken by the team over the last 15 months to create an organisation from initial set up to fully functioning operational capability. The BBRS is now an organisation that can deliver resolution and closure for often complex SME banking complaints, and I am confident it will continue to deliver exactly that going forward.’

Sally Berlin, Interim Chief Adjudicator, comments: ‘Resolving disputes is at the heart of the BBRS, with adjudication being a core method of resolution, and I look forward to continuing this critical work. The organisation delivers an important service for eligible SMEs, and I am proud of the role I play building on Alexandra’s legacy.’

Sally joined the BBRS from the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), where she was an Executive Board Member and the Director of Casework Operations after qualifying as a barrister. She has also been a member of a Cabinet Office appeal panel since 2017.

Shand Smith, concluded: ‘We are absolutely delighted that Sally has accepted the role of Interim Chief Adjudicator. She is a highly experienced legal practitioner and proven herself to be enormously capable as an adjudicator.’

The BBRS is an independent organisation delivering a free dispute resolution service for eligible UK SMEs and participating banks.

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