Trusted since 1849.

We know our members want to save their money with an organisation they can trust.

Which is why we demand strong leadership throughout the Society and we act with integrity, transparency and accountability.

Everyone from the Board to our colleagues across the Society are driven by the same values and integrity that the Society was built on.

Governance

Real people behind everything we do.

The Board

Meet the Board.

Peter Elcock

Chair

Peter Elcock

Chair

Peter Elcock has worked for over 40 years in the financial services industry including roles at Barclays, Coventry Building Society, Charter Court Financial Services Group plc (CCFS) and One Savings Bank. He founded Cornhill Consulting in 2006, providing specialist risk consultancy to building societies and banks.

At One Savings Bank, Peter took the Group Risk role following a merger with CCFS, assuming responsibility for the merger of the risk functions and frameworks and creating and delivering a new Risk Design for the enlarged Group.

Peter is passionate about the mutual model, its values and the safety and security it brings to members and is pleased to be able to bring his experience and practical understanding of the risk, regulatory and compliance areas to support the Society. He is also a Non Executive Director of Advanced Payment Solutions Limited.

Board Committees: Nominations (Chair), Remuneration

Richard Norrington

Chief Executive Officer

Richard Norrington

Chief Executive Officer

Richard Norrington was appointed to the Board on 30 November 2016 and became Chief Executive on 1 December 2016. He is an advocate of the Society’s social purpose and mutual values. Richard has extensive leadership experience in the financial services sector, in a career spanning over three decades. He spent 16 years with Barclays Bank PLC, and, more recently, ten years at Clydesdale & Yorkshire Bank where as regional director he had responsibility for the East of England area.

Board Committees: Nominations

Paul Johnson

Chief Financial Officer

Paul Johnson

Chief Financial Officer

Paul Johnson joined the Society in June 2020. Paul was previously Head of Finance at Vanquis Bank for six years, having been at Citi previously for fifteen years in a variety of senior finance roles, including CFO of the UK Consumer business. Prior to that Paul held a number of financial controller roles including the broker subsidiary of Société Générale, and started his career at Deloitte. Paul is a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.

Rebecca Newman

Chief Operating Officer

Rebecca Newman

Chief Operating Officer

Qualifying as a solicitor in 2008, Rebecca acted as legal counsel within the financial services industry for over seven years before joining the Society in 2015 as society secretary with responsibility for board governance. She soon became Legal Counsel and then Chief of Staff, developing the Corporate Governance framework to include ambitious programmes on ESG, Diversity and Inclusion and Employee Performance. Rebecca joined the Board as Chief Operating Officer in 2022.

Sian Hill

Non Executive Director

Sian Hill

Non Executive Director

Sian Hill joined the Board in April 2020. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Sian was at KPMG for many years including over twenty years as a financial services tax partner advising a broad range of financial institutions. She retired from KPMG in June 2018. Sian is a Non Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Ltd (where she is also the Senior Independent Director), Apollo Syndicate Management Ltd and of Yealand Fund Services Ltd. She is also a Trustee and Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee and member of the People & Culture Committee of Place2Be, a leading UK children’s mental health charity.

Board Committees: Audit, Remuneration

Elaine Lenc

Non Executive Director

Elaine Lenc

Non Executive Director

Elaine Lenc joined the Board in October 2019. Elaine is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland. She has had a lifelong career in Financial Services and held senior posts at National Australia Group Europe, latterly as Director, Customer Remediation but spanning IT and Strategic Change, Products and Marketing, Retail and Business Banking across four European banks. Elaine is also a governor at Delta Academies in North Yorkshire.

Board Committees: Board Risk and Compliance, Remuneration (Chair), Nominations

Steve Liddell

Non Executive Director

Steve Liddell

Non Executive Director

Steve Liddell was appointed to the Board on 30 November 2017. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He retired from Mazars LLP, where he was a financial services partner, in 2020. He previously worked for many years at KPMG and was the senior partner at the firm’s Ipswich office from 2002-06. He is a Non Executive Director of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Company of Europe Limited, Aspen Syndicate Management and Aspen Insurance Company Ltd. Steve lives locally and has over 30 years’ experience in working with regulated businesses.

Board Committees: Audit (Chair), Board Risk and Compliance

Steve Reid

Non Executive Director

Steve Reid

Non Executive Director

Steve Reid was appointed to the Board in November 2016. Steve has spent his entire career in the Financial Services industry with a particular focus on Retail banking and Wealth Management. During this time he has held Executive roles with the Woolwich Building Society, Barclays Bank PLC, National Australia Group Europe and as CEO of Allied Irish Bank (UK).

Board Committees: Board Risk and Compliance (Chair), Audit, Nominations

Fiona Ryder

Non Executive Director and Senior Independent Director and Whistleblowing Champion

Fiona Ryder

Non Executive Director and Senior Independent Director and Whistleblowing Champion

Fiona Ryder was appointed to the Board in October 2018. Fiona is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts with over 25 years’ experience across the broadcasting, digital and commercial sectors. She was previously the founding CEO of instore marketing and communications company, The Cube Group, before its profitable sale in 2006 and more recently the Managing Director of Archant’s local TV station for Norwich and environs. Fiona is an Executive Director at Bonza Music Ltd and TCD Media.

Board Committees: Board Risk and Compliance, Nominations

Fiona Ryder is Senior Independent Director, Whistleblowing Champion and Consumer Duty Champion.

Diversity and Inclusion

Empowering everyone to build a representative society.

Having diversity within our management structure is an important part of our governance. We are proud to be an official signatory of the Women in Finance Charter, where we are committed to achieving 40% female representation in senior management by November 2024. As of September 2022, we have 33% female representation in senior management, and we are working towards improving this all the time.

Modern slavery

How we’re promoting positive labour practices.

Ethical trading within supply chain relationships are key to ensure we contribute positively to modern labour practices both the UK and beyond. We have a continuous vetting process with third party suppliers and we will continue to do all we can to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking.

Downloads and links

Results and documents.

Report and Accounts 2023

Download

Review of the Year 2023

Download

Rules and Memorandum

Download

Pillar 3 disclosures

Download

Deloitte internal audit charter

Download

Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference

Download

Nominations Terms of Reference

Download

Terms of Reference for Audit Committee

Download

Terms of Reference for the Board Risk and Compliance Committee

Download

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