New CEO takes the helm at Yorkshire Building Society

Yorkshire Building Society has confirmed today that Susan Allen has been appointed chief executive officer.

She has more than 25 years of experience in financial services having held senior executive positions at a number of large retail banks in the UK.

Allen is currently head of customer transformation at Barclays where she is responsible for leading and supporting all colleagues in frontline teams to deliver a differentiated customer experience.

Prior to that she was responsible for all of Santander’s UK Retail and Business banking businesses, supporting 15 million customers and with a nationwide network of branches and customer contact centres, following her role as chief transformation officer.

She is also a former Board member of UK Finance and has been a proud champion of diversity and inclusivity throughout her career.

Allen will take over from interim CEO, Alasdair Lenman, early next year. Her appointment is subject to regulatory approval.

John Heaps, chairman of the Society, said: “Susan’s skills and expertise will be of significant benefit to our members as we continue to invest in our digital servicing capability to help more members interact with the Society how, when and where they want to, and this will complement our branch and telephone channels.

“I look forward to working with Susan to ensure we continue to provide real and meaningful benefits to our members, customers and communities for years to come.”

Allen added: “I’m really excited to have the opportunity to lead an organisation which has such a strong sense of purpose and which supports members at key points in their lives.

“Yorkshire Building Society’s successful, sustainable mutual business model means it is well positioned to adapt to the changing needs of its members.

“I very much look forward to joining the team and leading the Society to deliver even more value for the members and communities it serves.”