Lloyds appoints Manija Poulatova as Group Chief Security Officer

Lloyds Banking Group
Published on: 13 November 2026
1 min read

Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Manija Poulatova as Group Chief Security Officer, leading the Group’s work to protect customers and strengthen the security and resilience of its banking services.


Strengthening security and resilience for customers

Manija takes up the position on 16 November, reporting to Group Chief Operating Officer, Ron van Kemenade. Manija will lead cyber security and technology resilience across the Group’s operations and brands, helping to protect customers and maintain the security and resilience of the services they rely on every day. 

She will oversee robust cyber governance across the Group and ensure security remains central to its digital transformation as customer banking habits, technologies and the wider threat landscape continue to evolve.

Deep cyber security and technology experience

Manija joined the Group in January 2024 and is currently Director of Security Engineering and Operations, leading a team of over 600 security experts. She has played a key role in transforming the Group’s security capability and will continue to build on the strong foundations in place.

Manija has an extensive background in cyber security, spending nearly five years at Google Cloud,  where she held roles including Head of Security and Networking Practices. Before joining Google Cloud, she worked at cyber security firms LogRhythm and Palo Alto Networks. 

Building on strong foundations

Manija will succeed Matt Rowe, who has decided to leave Lloyds Banking Group after more than four years as Chief Security Officer. During that time Matt has strengthened the Group’s cyber defences by increasing automation, creating greater capacity for proactive threat hunting, and accelerating the adoption of technologies, including AI.

Matt leaves the Group with a stronger, more modern and engineering-focused security capability, providing solid foundations for the future. for proactive threat hunting, and the adoption of technologies including AI.

Manija is an outstanding security leader with deep expertise and a strong understanding of our business. Security is fundamental to the trust our customers place in us, and Manija brings the experience and judgement we need as technology and the threats we face continue to evolve.

I’d also like to thank Matt for his leadership and the significant progress he has helped drive across our security capability. I wish him every success for the future.

Ron van Kemenade Chief Operating Officer at Lloyds Banking Group

Protecting our customers, colleagues and the Group has never been more important, particularly as technology continues to change how people manage their money. We have talented security teams across Lloyds, and I am looking forward to working with them to build on the strong foundations already in place and ensure security remains at the heart of the Group’s transformation.

Manija Poulatova Chief Security Officer at Lloyds

 

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