Barclays CEO Matt Hammerstein with senior staff at Warwick Business School

Best behaviour: Matt Hammerstein (fourth from the left) pictured with Barclays delegates and staff from Warwick Business School

The pathway to the C-suite is not just about mastering the balance sheet it is also about understanding human behaviour, according to CEO Matt Hammerstein.  

In a fireside chat at Warwick Business School, the Chief Executive of Barclays UK Corporate Bank reflected on his journey to senior leadership, highlighting the skills that guided his progress and sharing how, today, his biggest challenges are psychological and sociological rather than technical. 

Mr Hammerstein’s visit, with Barclays delegates, was to strengthen the School’s existing partnership with the banking giant on talent attraction and retention, employability initiatives, and explore mutually beneficial growth opportunities. 

When reflecting on his own MBA Mr Hammerstein told students that if he could do it all again, he would dedicate more time to behavioural science. 

“I would double down on understanding human nature and hanging out more in the behavioural science department,” he said. “I would be there 100 per cent of the time rather than 50 per cent. Understanding human nature is vital, especially in stakeholder management.” 

Power play: Barclays CEO Matt Hammerstein also took in a tour of Warwick Manufacturing Group's facilities at the University of Warwick

WBS has one of the largest behavioural science departments in Europe with the subject embedded throughout the School’s Undergraduate and Master’s courses plus its range of MBA programmes. 

Andy Lockett, Dean of WBS and Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, said: “Behavioural science is just one area where WBS research is having a real-world impact. Our faculty are at the forefront of their fields, producing research that shapes business, influences policy, and sparks progress. 

“Our deep industry partnerships, exemplified by this crucial relationship with Barclays, are the engine of employability for our students.  

“For prospective students these long-term partnerships guarantee access to real-world insights, networking opportunities, and a curriculum that is regularly updated against the demands of a major global institution like Barclays.”  

WBS graduates hold a number of director-level roles at the bank with more than 400 around the world working at Barclays. 

Mr Hammerstein, whose mechanical engineering degree led to 12 years as a management consultant in the Americas and Europe before joining Barclays 21 years ago, advised listening students that they will need to take risks to reach senior positions. 

“The bigger the aspiration, the bigger risk you need to take,” said Mr Hammerstein. “You could be derailed, but you must take a lot of risk to take the opportunities you need to reach high profile positions.”

The School’s partnership with Barclays involves MBA treks to its Canary Wharf head office, guest lectures, student consultancy projects, networking events, recruitment events and Undergraduate bootcamps.  

As part of Barclays’ visit Mr Hammerstein was also given a tour of the University of Warwick’s innovative Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) department.  

Professor Kerry Kirwan, Dean of WMG, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome representatives from Barclays, and have the opportunity to discuss WMG’s breadth of research and industry links, as well as showcase both our STEM Connect Suite and our Cyber Security Research Centre.  

“We look forward to working with our colleagues in WBS to identify future collaborations and connections with Barclays.” 

Karen Barker, Director of Stakeholder Engagement at WBS, said: “The visit from Barclays reinforced the depth of our partnership. We aim to equip our students with the insights and skills to lead in a world defined by uncertainty and innovation. Matt’s visit and talk brought that vision to life.”

 Discover more about Warwick Business School’s Change Makers.