Ipswich Building Society has named Alan Harris as its new chairman, taking over from Sarah Evans who is to retire at the end of this month.
Mr Harris, who has been a non-executive director of the society since 2011, is a chartered insurer and a fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and holds an MBA from City University Business School.
In addition to his role at the Ipswich Building Society, he also holds non-executive roles with three Aegon companies and is a governor and director of Prince Henry’s High School Academy Trust.
Sarah Evans, a chartered accountant and a former partner in the financial services department at Ernst & Young, was first appointed to the Ipswich Building Society board in 2008 and became chairman in 2013.
Richard Norrington, chief executive, said: “We are thankful to Sarah Evans for her invaluable contribution to the society over the last nine years. Sarah led the process in actively strengthening the board during her time as chairman, as well as overseeing a complete IT migration and guiding our pioneering involvement in assisting ‘Mortgage Misfits’.
“We are pleased to welcome Alan Harris as our new chairman and are confident that, under his leadership, the board will continue to deliver significant value for our members.”
The society has also announced the appointment of Steve Liddell, a chartered accountant and a financial services partner at Mazars in London, as a non-executive director.
Mr Liddell, who lives in Woodbridge and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, previously worked for many years at KPMG, including a spell as senior partner at the firms Ipswich office from 2002-06.
He has extensive experience in audit and transactions services work where his clients have included large insurance brokers and underwriters both in the UK and internationally.
Mr Norrington added: “We are also pleased to welcome Steve Liddell to the society as non-executive director. His skills and experience in audit and transaction advisory work will be invaluable as we continue to adapt to changing regulation and market conditions while providing members excellent service and returns.”
The Ipswich Building Society, which was founded in 1849, has around 65,000 members which it serves through a network of nine branches and four agencies across Suffolk. It has more than 5,000 mortgage accounts and more than 80,000 savings accounts.
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