RBS chairman Sir Philip Hampton is leaving the bank to take up the same role at drugs firm GlaxoSmithKline.
Sir Philip will take over from former Vodafone boss Sir Christopher Gent.
GlaxoSmithKline, which has a factory in Barnard Castle, County Durham, employing about 1,000 North-East workers, said Sir Philip will join its board in January and become chairman from September.
Sir Philip said: "It has been a privilege to serve as chairman of RBS since 2009.
"I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in the months ahead as we work to implement the bank's strategy and continue to improve the support we provide to our customers."
Glaxo was in the spotlight after it was fined £297m and its former country manager handed a suspended prison sentence in China for bribery.
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