Sklaroff joins from Bank of Scotland, where she was senior area manager of mid-market corporate business. Before that, she worked at Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland and HBOS.

Reporting to chief executive Richard Charnock, Sklaroff will be responsible for managing Standard Life Wealth’s business and strategic plan, governance framework and communication strategy. She will be based in Edinburgh.

“She brings a breadth of experience and an impressive array of dynamic skills and strategic insight,” said Charnock. “We have ambitious plans to grow our business and Shona is an excellent addition, given her proven track record in leading high performing teams.”

Standard Life Wealth has offices in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds, with an offshore presence in the Channel Islands. It provides investment strategies for private clients, trust companies and charities. In the first half of 2016, Standard Life generated a pre-tax operating profit of £341 million , up 18 per cent from a year earlier. Within Standard Life Wealth, net inflows increased to £200 million.