Barclays has announced that it has kicked off a search for a director to champion its climate efforts, following what has been described as a bruising year in which the UK bank was targeted by campaigners over its environmental record.
The high street lender recently closed applications for a climate communications director based in London, which is believed to be one of the most senior roles dedicated to coordinating its public response to climate pressures.
According to the job posting, the director’s responsibilities will include creating a “compelling narrative for climate transition” linked to the bank’s wider strategy, assessing “reputation and media risk” around climate issues, and working with senior stakeholders “to influence the outcome of such issues in a positive way”.
The latest development comes after a challenging year for Barclays in which it was targeted by climate campaigners at its AGM in May and faced pressure over its sponsorship of Wimbledon, as well as over its ties to the National Trust. The lender has also been hit by grassroots boycotts, including by a pensioner who refused to pay her council tax because of a link to the bank.
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According to the Rainforest Action Network’s banking on climate chaos report, campaigners say that they are concerned over Barclays’ support of carbon-heavy industries, having been the top European funder of fossil fuels between 2016 and 2022.
However, Barclays stressed it was working towards plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and noted that its energy sector financing had dropped by 25% since 2021. Campaigners also said that the creation of such a high-level climate communications role was a sign that Barclays was growing “scared” of climate activists.
Reacting, Joanna Warrington, at Fossil Free London, said: “In recent years we’ve seen campaigning pressure expand beyond the oil giants like Shell and Equinor, on to banks and the massive funding they provide to companies building new oil and gas projects that would be impossible without it. Barclays is clearly scared. This new PR role is just another way for it to armour itself up.”
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
