Duke of York to visit regional businesses

THE Duke of York will be in Yorkshire on Thursday to open the newly refurbished Leeds Building Society head office and meet key business leaders from the region.

As part of his visit the Duke will also visit a number of manufacturing firms including ATB Morley – a Leeds-based designer, manufacturer and exporter of high voltage electric motors for the global coal mining markets.

Leeds Building Society’s head office building is located on the corner of Albion Street and The Headrow, in Leeds city centre.

The Society, which today named Ian Robertson and Bob Stott as non-executive directors, has been in the city for more than 120 years, where it also has its call centre operation.

Peter Hill, operations director said, “This represents a significant day in the Society’s 133 year history and we are all looking forward to seeing His Royal Highness. Our building dates back to the 1930’s and, although it had been regularly updated, it needed a complete overhaul.

“Leeds is very important to us and we believe it is vital that the only major independent financial services organisation with its head office in Leeds remains here.”

Leeds Building Society employs around 1,000 staff nationally – with more than 450 based at its head office.

ATB Morley has recently been awarded a number of accolades including recognition from the Yorkshire Society for the firms ‘Outstanding Contribution in China’.

The company is continuing to expand into other sectors including the water, power, steel, and oil exploration and petro-chemical industries.

Ian Lomax, managing director, ATB Morley said: “We at ATB Morley are very excited and feel privileged that HRH The Duke of York will be visiting us. It is a great boost for all our staff and will be a great ending to another solid year. We look forward to demonstrating our capabilities to the Duke.”