New RBS chief Ross McEwan banks on his people skills Failing a standard accounting exam twice is perhaps not the kind of accolade that would usually appear on the CV of a chief executive at one of the UK's biggest banks. But Ross McEwan, the New Zealander who was named on Friday as the new boss of Royal Bank of Scotland, is not ashamed by the episode. Admitting the failures in a November 2000 interview with a magazine published by his former New Zealand university, Massey, Mr McEwan, who passed the accountancy exam on the third attempt, said: "I'm more comfortable with people than with figures. No regret there. His new role at the state-backed bank will certainly require a well-honed ability to navigate delicate relationships - chiefly with the government, which owns an 81 per cent stake in RBS. Critics of the 56-year-old banker have highlighted his lack of political and regulatory contacts in the UK, saying the challenge he faces is building a harmonious relationship with the bank's largest shareholder without bowing too easily to pressure. The new chief executive has made a good start. In an immediate move to reduce the political tensions around pay that beset his predecessor, Stephen Hester, Mr McEwan waived his annual bonus entitlement for the first 15 months of his tenure as chief executive, and agreed to a lower basic salary of £1m compared with Mr Hester's £1.2m. In another politically popular sound bite, Mr McEwan emphasised the importance of rebuilding RBS's relationship with its customers. According to insiders, he believes they were overlooked under the bank's previous management. While little known in the City, Mr McEwan has built a reputation as a strong retail banker during a 10-year career in the industry in Australia and New Zealand. Brian Hartzer, who ran RBS's retail division from 2009 until 2012, described Mr McEwan as "clearly one of the standout retail bankers globally." "He's the ideal leader to help rebuild confidence in the brand as RBS refocuses as a predominately retail and commercial bank," said Mr Hartzer. Before joining RBS a year ago, Mr McEwan ran the retail division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia's biggest bank with a market capitalisation of A$118bn (US$105bn). Shortly afterwards he was lured to the UK by Mr Hester, initially as head of RBS's retail business, but with a view to stepping into the chief executive role when Mr Hester departed. That was expected to take place after about two years, but the promotion was accelerated after Mr Hester was forced to resign following pressure from the Treasury. One criticism of Mr McEwan aired among rival bankers in the run-up to his appointment was his lack of direct experience of investment banking, which still makes up a sizeable, albeit shrinking, part of RBS. However from a pool of at least two other internal contenders and a clutch of possible outsiders, Sir Philip Hampton stressed Mr McEwan was the only candidate the bank seriously considered. That leaves the new chief executive with another potentially difficult relationship to manage - that with the senior executives whom he beat to the top job.