Weatherbys Private Bank, a UK private bank with a traditional attachment to the horse racing industry, makes senior hires to boost its offering in the North West. 

Weatherbys Private Bank has hired former Coutts director Michelle Duncalf (pictured) as senior private banker and team lead for its Manchester team of bankers. Former Coutts CEO Rory Tapner has also joined Weatherbys as a board member, the firm said in a statement.

Duncalf was previously head of Coutts' Manchester office. She worked for the bank for nine years and was a senior member of its wealth management team. Prior to that, she worked for Arbuthnot Latham and Barclays Wealth. 

Duncalf, who has 30 years of experience, brings local expertise to Wetherbys, a bank traditionally associated with the world of horse racing and bloodstock. She grew up in the region and has worked with some of Manchester’s most successful entrepreneurs. 

“I left Coutts to join Weatherbys in pursuit of a more entrepreneurial environment,” she said. “I felt it was somewhere I could have greater influence and impact – not only in leading my team but also in delivering a more thoughtful, flexible and client-centric approach that aligns closely with my values and the expectations of the individuals and families I work with.”

Duncalf is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI). She is a director of the Manchester Camarata Orchestra and was for many years a trustee of FareShare Greater Manchester, which redistrubes in-date surplus food.

She is the fifth new banker to join Weatherbys this year and the second in Manchester as the bank targets a doubling in size in the next five years. 

“She is well known and respected in the region and adds significant impetus to our ambition to be the obvious first choice for those in the North-West wanting the benefits of truly personal private banking,” Weatherbys head of private clients Oliver Barnett, said.

With 30 years in the banking industry, Tapner served as CEO of Coutts & Co from 2010 to 2015, following five years as chair and CEO, Asia Pacific at Swiss private bank UBS. His earlier career at UBS (formerly SG Warburg) included senior roles such as global head of investment banking and global head of equity capital markets. 

Alongside his executive career, Tapner has built a non-executive portfolio; since 2019 he has been serving as chair of SPS Technology. Previous roles include chair of Quintet Private Bank (2020 to 2025), chair of Brown Shipley (2019 to 2020) and chair of the Coutts Foundation (2014 to 2016). 

“He is a valuable addition to the board at a time when we are growing strongly and constantly looking to enhance our offering to clients,” Weatherbys CEO Quentin Marshall said.