Hargreaves Lansdown has appointed Matt Benchener as Chief Executive Officer, starting in July 2026 subject to regulatory approval. He will join Hargreaves Lansdown in March for a handover period working alongside existing Interim CEO, Richard Flint.
Matt joins HL from Vanguard, where he is a Managing Director and Head of Vanguard Personal Investor, the company’s U.S. retail direct business with several times the number of clients of HL, and several $trn in assets. Matt is also a member of Vanguard’s senior executive team, helping to drive firm-wide leadership and strategy.
While at Vanguard, Matt led a large-scale operational turnaround, transformed Personal Investor’s technology and digital platforms, launched a disruptive cash and savings offer, drove rapid growth in Vanguard’s advice business, and helped win multiple awards for industry-leading customer satisfaction.
When Matt takes up the CEO role on a full-time basis from July, Richard Flint will move to a new role on the Board as Deputy Chair. He originally joined Hargreaves Lansdown as a Non-Executive Director in March 2025 and stepped in as Interim CEO from August 2025.
Under Richard’s leadership, HL has made major strides in its transformation journey; it announced an upgrade of the app, became the first firm in the UK to launch Long-Term Asset Funds (LTAFs) in its SIPP and unveiled an enhanced VCT offering, as well as product and technology partnerships across Active Savings and Workplace to offer better rates and deliver better client experience. Richard has also brought in significant new talent across the Executive Leadership Team.
Matt Benchener, incoming CEO, said:
“Hargreaves Lansdown created the retail investing market as we know it in the UK, with an unrivalled heritage, highly trusted brand and market-leading insight. Its mission and broad reach give it a distinct responsibility in UK society to support the long-term financial wellbeing of millions. It is a privilege to lead the company through this exciting stage in its history and to deliver even more for clients and help the UK become a nation of retail investors.”
Bruce Hemphill, Chair of Hargreaves Lansdown, said:
“Matt is a powerhouse in the investment platform space and we are extremely pleased to have secured his deep expertise to lead HL into its next stage. It is testament to the exciting future and growth potential ahead of us that we have persuaded him to cross the pond and join us.
“We are grateful to Richard for stepping in to lead the firm over the last year. Under his leadership we have made significant progress on our transformation strategy, bringing in new permanent talent into the Executive team, improving client experience, new private markets offerings and a new approach to marketing.
“Richard has also been a leading figure in the cross-industry Retail Investment Campaign to deliver a retail investment culture in the UK. He will continue to play an important role in this agenda as he returns to the Board.”
Richard Flint, interim CEO, said:
“Hargreaves Lansdown is a fantastic business with a deep passion for its clients and a mission of building a nation of retail investors. We now have a clear and ambitious strategy, and outstanding talent on board with deep expertise in retail investment, delivering innovation, excellent service and exceptional experience on digital platforms.
“It has been a privilege to lead the team through our transition to private ownership at an exciting and pivotal time for the business, as well as a period of important policy and regulatory change. The government and FCA have set an important and bold agenda which I truly believe will help us create a nation of retail investors. I look forward to working with Matt and continuing to work on Hargreaves Lansdown’s introduction of targeted support and rebalanced risk warnings, as well as the cross-industry retail investment campaign.”
Peter Hargreaves, founder of Hargreaves Lansdown, said:
“Having built this business with clients coming first, I’m delighted to see a CEO who truly understands Hargreaves Lansdown inside and out – his client focus and hard-won investment platform experience make him exactly the right person to take the firm forward to the benefit of clients.”
Matt Benchener Biography
Matt Benchener is currently Managing Director of Vanguard Personal Investor in the United States, which helps millions of individual investors achieve their financial goals. Vanguard Personal Investor provides clients with direct access to mutual funds, ETFs, brokerage services, IRAs, cash management, education savings, and a variety of other offers. The division serves several million clients and several $trn in assets. Mr. Benchener also serves as a member of Vanguard’s senior executive team, responsible for firm-wide leadership, strategy, and capital allocation.
Since joining Vanguard in 2008, he’s held senior leadership roles across the organization, including Head of Personal Investor Client Service and Operations, Personal Investor Chief Marketing Officer, and senior roles in Vanguard’s Institutional and Corporate Strategy groups.
Mr. Benchener earned his BA from Johns Hopkins University and MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2023, he joined the Board of SIFMA, a leading trade association for broker-dealers, investment banks and asset managers focused on building effective and resilient capital markets.
Richard Flint Biography
Richard became Interim CEO, having held the position of Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Transformation Committee from March 2025, when HL began life as a private company under new ownership.
During his time leading HL, Richard has finalised the long term transformation strategy, as well as delivering significant progress on the plan including the recruitment of permanent talent in the Executive and Senior Leadership Teams, including Doug Abbott, the incoming Chief Product Officer, who joins from Vanguard, as well as Chief Client Officer, Simon Belsham, Chief People Officer, Lisa Hillier, and Chief Legal Officer, Angela Yotov.
Richard has built a career leading and transforming businesses, particularly consumer-facing digital platforms. He led Sky Betting and Gaming from 2006 to 2018, where he oversaw a period of significant growth and won several awards for the company culture, including being voted No 1 CEO by colleagues on Glassdoor. Richard also implemented some industry-leading safeguards and initiatives to improve standards across industry for vulnerable customers, in particular.
Richard has also served as a Non-Executive Director for a number of startup and scaleup businesses including Butternut Box, Seat Unique and Ryde Studios.
