Barclays has appointed Anita Tanna as its first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, assigning her responsibility for accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption across the banking group and identifying opportunities to integrate the technology into business operations.
Tanna takes on the newly created position after serving as Group Chief of Staff to the bank's Chief Executive Officer. The appointment, effective October 2026, comes as Barclays expands its use of AI across customer services, internal processes and technology functions.
In her new role, Tanna will focus on coordinating AI initiatives across the organisation, identifying areas where the technology can deliver business value and supporting its responsible implementation.
Announcing her appointment on LinkedIn, Tanna said, "AI has enormous potential to transform how we serve our customers and clients and is a critical enabler of our strategy."
She added that her priorities would include accelerating adoption across the group, identifying opportunities to generate value and ensuring that AI is deployed thoughtfully and responsibly.
Tanna brings 22 years of experience in financial services, spanning equity sales, investment banking, financial markets and organisational leadership.
She joined Barclays in June 2021 as Managing Director and Head of Equity Sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) within its Corporate and Investment Bank.
In October 2022, she assumed additional responsibilities as Head of Equity Sales, High Touch and Programme Trading Execution Services. She subsequently became Group Chief of Staff in January 2024.
During her tenure as Group Chief of Staff, Tanna worked across strategic, financial and organisational priorities, including governance, automation, operational simplification and technology transformation.
Before joining Barclays, she spent nearly 12 years at Citi, holding several senior positions, including Head of Equity Sales for the UK, Head of International Sales and Head of Global Sales.
Earlier in her career, she worked at Goldman Sachs in European equity sales and began her professional journey at Bear Stearns, focusing on equity research and financial services.
Tanna holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Manchester.
Her appointment follows Barclays' efforts to expand the use of AI in its operations. The bank has been investing in automation, cloud infrastructure and AI-enabled tools to support productivity and service delivery.
Barclays has also outlined plans to reduce approximately 5,000 roles during 2026 as part of a broader restructuring programme involving technology investment and operational simplification.
The bank has indicated that AI will play an increasing role in improving productivity, although the restructuring extends beyond AI adoption.
Other international banking institutions, including HSBC, Bank of Ireland and ANZ, have also introduced dedicated AI leadership positions as they expand the technology's use across their businesses.
Tanna's appointment establishes a dedicated executive role for overseeing AI adoption and coordinating its implementation across Barclays' business functions.
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