An ex-MD at JPMorgan has gone public about her horrific marriage
Kathryn Benwell is no longer a managing director (MD) at JPMorgan in London. She left the bank over 10 years ago in October 2015. Eleven years later, Benwell has begun explaining just how difficult her life was during that time.
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Benwell spent nearly a decade working for JPMorgan in London and became an MD at the bank in 2011. She began her career as a regulator, working for the Bank of England the Financial Services Authority. During her tenure as a JPMorgan MD she worked in risk and controls, improving governance arrangements for the bank's legal entities.
From 2013, though, Benwell was in a highly abusive relationship. We haven't spoken to her for this article, but Benwell - who is now a self employed operational resilience specialist and ambassador for a domestic abuse charity - featured in a Channel 4 documentary this week detailing how she became immersed in a relationship with a violent man.
After her previous 30-year marriage ended, Benwell said she went on a dating app aged 47 and "was swept along on a romance" with a 6 foot four blue-eyed property developer who seemed like he would protect her. "I wanted a dominant, alpha type guy that I could look up to," said Benwell. She was warned by friends that he had a history of violence towards his previous partners, and even his mother told her not to trust him, but in both cases he undermined the testimony of the women who were telling her to be careful.
After moving the unnamed man into her large new house in Kent, Benwell married him in April 2015. She was already supporting him as he never seemed to have any money. Her son was away at university; her daughter was moved against her will into a static caravan in the grounds. Her new husband slowly became increasingly violent. Benwell constantly excused his behaviour, until eventually he nearly killed her and broke her back. In 2023, she finally went to the police. He was sentenced to two years in prison in 2024, but released after five months due to prison overcrowding.
Writing on LinkedIn, Benwell said: "At work I had all the pressure of a 24-7 global role. At home I wanted to relax with someone who looked after me, someone bigger than me, someone strong and dominant so that I didn’t need to be in charge."
Initially, Benwell said her abuser was a gentleman. "He drove me to the station and made sure I sat in first class, texting me to make sure I had got a seat and sending loving emojis on my journey. When I got back he was standing on the platform with an umbrella to shield me if it was raining. He held my hand and opened doors for me. He drove me everywhere and took me out to dinner after work."
In fact, he was a controlling, violent despot. Over time, his behaviour changed. He stopped opening doors and started flying into a rage about tiny things. "I would have to run out of client meetings at 5pm sharp to get back to him on time otherwise he would be angry at being kept waiting....If I worked at home he would stand in the doorway tapping on his watch if a meeting went past 5pm. I cringed with embarrassment as he loomed behind me in Teams meetings."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Benwell said: “This happened to a managing director at JPMorgan. If you think it’s not happening to people here, think again. I’m a living, walking example of domestic abuse."
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