Keith A. Carby

Keith Carby has enjoyed a long and highly successful career in British Retail Financial Services. When assessed in combined terms of length, diversity, scale, and corporate success, his track record is exceptional.

In 1981, after eight years in academic research and then commercial consultancy, Keith joined Hambro Life (later renamed Allied Dunbar) where, initially, he undertook a number of internal consultancy assignments.  After two years, he asked, and was allowed, to move into Sales line management. Over the next six years, he gained a remarkable series of promotions, resulting in him becoming, first Sales Director, and then Managing Director for all the company’s sales operations. His tenure saw AD’s Sales operations develop significantly in terms of both size (to some 5,000 Advisers) and quality. In this period, he played a leading part in helping the Company through the arrival and development of new regulation.

In the mid 1980’s, Allied Dunbar was acquired by British American Tobacco. The new owners decided that the incumbent AD Chairman and CEO should be replaced. Keith was asked to takeover as Chief Executive. He declined for personal reasons, preferring to join his two former colleagues as the three Founders of J. Rothschild Assurance, later re-named St. James’s Place. As Managing Director of the new company, Keith built up the SJP Sales Force from scratch. He resigned in 1997, after policy disagreements with his two Co-Founders.

In the following 15 years, Keith went on to hold main board positions (usually as Chair or MD) in more than ten RFS companies, including Inter-Alliance, Tenet, Foster Denovo, Openwork, Caerus, Censeo, Metro Bank and AdAlpha Solutions, most of which he co-founded. His average length of service across each of these companies was more than seven years.

Currently, as well as continuing his 13 year plus role in Censeo (led by Rupi Hunjan and now the major provider of “Affordable Mortgages” in Greater London), Keith is also Chair of Harbour Rock Capital, a specialist in large group pensions, led by Paul Dunne.

In 2022, Keith met Ross Sutton. They both quickly came to realize the potential for commercial success based on a combination of Keith’s experience in entrepreneurial endeavours and Ross’s proven track record and established reputation in Estate Agency. Together, they researched, considered and developed a better way for people to buy and to sell their houses, resulting in the launch of HOUSE in late 2023.