First Welsh person in history to have signature appear on every UK banknote

Nation.Cymru staff

For the first time in history there will be a Welsh person’s signature on UK bank notes.

On October 19, Rhys Phillips will take over the role of Chief Cashier of the Bank of England.

Rhys was born in Neath, and grew up in Baglan near Port Talbot. As such he will be the first Welsh Chief Cashier in the Bank’s history, and will be taking on one of its most recognisable public roles.

As well as having his signature on every banknote, he will oversee the production and distribution of the next generation of banknotes, following the announcement that wildlife will replace historic figures on banknotes.

The theme of Wildlife is representative of the UK, but it will also allow these new notes to feature cutting edge security as we step up the fight against counterfeiting.

For context there are nearly 5 billion individual banknotes in circulation, worth a combined £91 billion in value.

Back in July, the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, announced that Rhys would be the next Chief Cashier and Director of Notes.

Governor Andrew Bailey said: “Banknotes play a central role in public life. They serve not just as a means of payment, but as a shared symbol of our national identity. I am delighted that Rhys will be our next Chief Cashier leading the work to introduce a new generation of secure banknotes.”

Rhys joined the Bank in 2012, having begun his career at the Financial Services Authority in 2005. He has undertaken a variety of roles in relation to banking supervision, financial stability, and financial markets, including as Head of Sterling Markets Division from 2018-2023 and most recently as principal private secretary to the Governor.

As Chief Cashier and Director of Notes, Rhys will be responsible for the production of high quality, secure notes which the public can use with confidence.

The Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog will represent UK wildlife and feature as the central images on the next series of UK banknotes.

The decision comes after nearly 500,000 people responded to a public consultation asking which native wildlife they would like to see on the banknotes. They chose from a shortlist of 18 options across three categories – mammals; birds; and amphibians, insects and fish – developed in collaboration with a panel of UK wildlife experts.

The Bank used the feedback from the consultation to decide on the four animals, one for each denomination of banknote. The selected animals meet the Bank’s objectives for a distinctive set of banknotes that can support counterfeit resilience and are representative of the UK.

The barn owl (Tyto alba), buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) were the most popular animals in their respective categories. The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) was selected because it was the most popular marine animal. The inclusion of a marine animal will add variety to the series, making the denominations easier to distinguish and will provide an opportunity to celebrate the British coastline.

Rhys, who will be responsible for delivering the new series of notes, said:

‘It’s fantastic to see how engaged the public have been in this choice. With these animals as the focus for the design we can deliver a new series of banknotes that are secure and represent the UK at its best. We’ll now work to design, test and produce the banknotes, combining the imagery we’ve announced today with cutting-edge security features and materials science’.

The decision on which animal will feature on which denomination will be made in due course and announced closer to launch. While the selected animals will feature as the central imagery for the next series, the banknotes will also feature other elements from nature to complete the designs, potentially including other shortlisted animals. The next series will continue to include a portrait of the monarch.

It takes a number of years to design, test and print banknotes, to make sure they are high-quality, resilient and accessible. The expectation is, therefore, that the first denomination from the next series will be launched over the next few years.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.