Your board

The Skipton Building Society board is responsible for our governance, strategy and business performance.

Our members have a say on every director who is on the board. That’s because each member of the board stands for election or re-election at our Annual General Meeting. Each director has been selected for their skills and experience. They bring their own specialist knowledge of different organisational cultures and industries.

The Board's responsibilities can be found in its Terms of Reference [PDF].

Your Board is made up of Executive and Non-Executive Directors:

  • the Executive Directors are all full-time employees of the Society and lead the executive team in managing the day-to-day business; and
  • the Non-Executive Directors are all independent of day-to-day operations and their role is to challenge the executive and ensure that the Society is efficiently and prudently run in the best interests of members.

 

Meet your board members

Gwyn Burr

Gwyn Burr

Chair of the Board, Nominations Committee, and the Non-Executive Remuneration Committee

Appointed to board: 2022

Gwyn brings wide-ranging executive experience in retail, thanks to her directorships at Asda and Sainsbury’s. She also has significant financial services experience, having previously held Non-Executive Director positions with Principality Building Society, Sainsbury's Bank plc and the Financial Ombudsman Service. She is currently a Non-Executive Director at Metro AG and is on the board for Ingleby Farms and Forests.

“My role is to lead the board’s focus on the development and delivery of the corporate plan. I also remain focused on making membership matter. As members’ behaviour in dealing with their financial affairs continues to evolve, I’m working with the team to ensure we serve the needs of our members today and in the future. This includes championing change to deliver increased support for our members – which can be seen in the initiatives we’ve launched already and those we plan to introduce. I’m proud to lead a board that’s tireless in its efforts to support our members and colleagues and have a positive impact on their lives."
Stuart Haire

Stuart Haire

Group Chief Executive and a member of the Non-Executive Remuneration Committee and Chair of the Group Executive Committee

Appointed to board: 2022

Stuart has over 20 years of business leadership experience across financial services. He brings a unique blend of technical and customer-facing skills and experience which will support delivering value to our members and the modernisation of the Group. Stuart is driven by the purpose of serving members’ interests now and preparing the business so we can serve those interests in future. He’s previously held senior executive roles at NatWest and HSBC and was CEO of Wealth and Personal Banking at HSBC UK.

“I am fully focused on creating a strong franchise by careful stewardship of the group. This will ensure that it matters more to our members and customers. The Skipton Group is an incredible set of businesses. It’s well placed to address challenges such as access to your first home, financial education and quality impartial advice, as well as improving access to the housing market and energy efficiency in UK homes. We’ve made a start, but there’s so much more we need to do to support people in these crucial areas. My job is to make our organisation even more relevant for both existing and new members as they consider their long-term financial needs and aspirations."
Paul Chambers

Paul Chambers

Group Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Group Executive Committee and Non-Executive Remuneration Committee

Appointed to board: 2024

Paul brings over 25 years’ financial services experience, across international banking, wealth management and management consulting. He joined the board from Standard Chartered Group, where he held a number of senior leadership roles, the most recent being Group Financial Controller. Paul has an extensive track record of leading diverse teams through periods of change, from market entry to market exit. This includes launching new products and services, reporting and control process re-design, and core system change.

“My priority in 2025 is to continue to understand the drivers of profitability across our Group. We need to ensure we optimise profit levels in an environment of increased downward pressure on interest margins, in our lending and deposits businesses, and continued inflationary pressures on our expenses. This will support us in our objective of making membership mean more, whilst continuing to fund the transformation of our products and services across our Group.”
Iain Cummings

Iain Cummings

Non-Executive Director - Chair of the Board Audit Committee and a member of the Board Nominations, Risk and Change Committees

Appointed to board: 2022

Iain is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with over 35 years of experience working in the financial sector. He was a partner at KPMG for over 24 years, working with banks and other major financial services firms in both audit and advisory roles, including three years leading KPMG’s banking audit practice. He is a Non-Executive Director of Rathbones Group plc (a listed wealth manager), where he is Chair of the Audit Committee, and a Non-Executive Director of Tradition London Group, which comprises the UK Subsidiaries of Compagnie Financiere Tradition SA (an interdealer broker), where he is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committees.

“I was attracted to an organisation that takes a long-term view and focuses on delivering value to its members through supporting them with their mortgages to helping them plan and save for their future. In what was a year of significant change for the Society, my main priority was to ensure a smooth transition for our new Group Chief Financial Officer. This year, I’ll be focusing on our assessment of our controls over financial reporting to meet the requirements of the updated Corporate Governance Code and our realisation of the value for members from the considerable levels of investment and change within the Society."
Steven Davis

Steven Davis

Non-Executive Director - Chair of the Board Remuneration Committee and a member of the Board Nominations Committee

Appointed to board: 2023

Steven has over 35 years’ experience in retail, FMCG and financial services, in the UK and abroad. Over the past 20 years he’s held senior executive roles in HR, retail operations and change management, always with a strong focus on the colleague and customer experience. His last role was with Sainsbury’s Bank, where he also sat on the Sainsbury’s Group HR Executive. Steven is a Non-Executive Director of Peter Vardy, Scottish Ballet and Philip Kingsley. He brings a wealth of experience in strategy, change leadership and building strong customer propositions.

“As our Consumer Duty Board Champion, I’ve continued to spend time with our colleagues to ensure we’re delivering good customer outcomes and meeting our regulatory requirements. This year I’m particularly keen to understand the key frustrations for our members across all channels and to support the organisation in delivery of our business plan. I’ve always been driven by making a difference for both customers and colleagues. We are very fortunate at Skipton Group to have colleagues who are passionate about doing the right thing for our members.”
Hasintha Gunawickreme

Hasintha Gunawickrema

Member of the Board Risk and Board Nominations Committee

Appointed to board: 2024

Hasintha brings 21 years of experience in financial services, working at Barclays Bank and HSBC Bank plc in Europe, India and the UK. In that time, she has led large-scale initiatives aimed at driving growth, including business, risk, digital, and culture transformation programs. Hasintha is an alumna of Harvard Business School and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) - UK. She’s a coach and mentor, dedicated to empowering future leaders.

“Skipton’s mission of helping people into homes, saving for the future, and enjoying long-term financial security, resonates deeply with my own values. I firmly believe that financial services have the potential to create meaningful and positive changes in people’s lives. As a mutual organisation owned by its members, Skipton’s focus on giving back to the community and prioritising its members’ needs is something I am passionate about. I look forward to making a real difference in people’s lives through integrity, responsibility, and a commitment to their long-term well-being.”
Denis Hall

Denis Hall

Non-Executive Director - Chair of the Board Risk Committee and a member of the Board Audit and Nominations Committees

Appointed to board: 2017

Denis has worked in senior risk roles with Citibank, Deutsche Bank and GE Capital. He brings a wide knowledge of risk management, regulation and financial services enabling him to chair the Board Risk Committee and provide support, advice and challenge to the executive team on risk management issues. Denis is a Non-Executive Director of Germany’s Aareal Bank where he sits on the Risk Committee and is Chair of the Audit Committee. He’s also a Non-Executive Director for Moneta Bank in the Czech Republic where he sits on both the Risk and Audit Committees and Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee for Auxmoney Holding in Ireland.

“My priority has always been on making sure the interests of our members are safeguarded. Whatever happens in the world, it’s important that we service their needs effectively. I’m a big advocate of Skipton’s core principle in putting members first. And it’s been great to see our member-driven values and purpose grow even further over the years. As well as the Society, I also serve on the boards of other financial institutions in Europe. This keeps me informed on current issues, so I can contribute to the Society by weighing up different approaches to common challenges.”
Heather Jackson

Heather Jackson

Non-Executive Director - Chair of the Board Change Committee and a member of the Board Nominations, Remuneration and Risk Committees

Appointed to board: 2018

Heather brings her strong business operations, technology, strategy and change background which is vital as the Society focuses on improving our customer journeys through all channels and on our use of data to support better decision making. She has 25 years’ experience in senior executive roles at Lloyds plc, Capital One, Boots the Chemist, Asda and Burton Group plc. She’s a Non-Executive Director for Ikano Bank Europe, Rothesay and The Veterinary Defence Society as well as a Trustee Director of Yorkshire Cancer Research.

“My focus is on fairness and always considering situations from a member viewpoint. I want to make sure the change initiatives we’re planning make the lives of our members and customers better and easier. Having always lived in Yorkshire, I’m focused on value for money! Making sure we have a positive impact on our members is what drives me personally. I am hugely motivated by the Society’s colleagues' desire to serve all members’ best interests and by our strong purpose.”