Our Board of Directors

Mark Sargeantson - Chairman

Mark Sargeantson, born in 1952, was appointed to the Board in 1998 and became Chairman in 2006. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Consultant Surveyor to Fenn Wright. He is also Vice Chairman of Flagship Housing Group, Trustee of the Cancer Campaign in Suffolk and is a RICS appointed Arbitrator. Mark is also Property Director of Notcutts Ltd.  

Kieron Blackburn - Finance Director

Kieron Blackburn, born in 1962, joined the Society in August 2008 as General Manager, Finance. He was appointed to the Board on 30 November 2008 as Finance Director. He is a Chartered Accountant and Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. Before joining the Society, Kieron spent 12 years with Nationwide Building Society, latterly as Finance Director, UCB HomeLoans Ltd, a Nationwide subsidiary.

Derek Bowden - Deputy Chairman

Derek Bowden, born in 1956, was appointed to the Board in 2006 and appointed Deputy Chairman on 1 December 2011. He is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee, a member of the Chairman's and Nominations Committee and a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee. Between 1982 and 2001, Derek held senior posts within Saatchi & Saatchi. He then joined Ipswich Town Football Club as Chief Executive, a post he held untilMay 2009. Derek is now Chief Executive of the Union of UEA Students and Chairman of The Trustee Board of The Junction, a centre for the performing arts in Cambridge. 

Sarah Evans - Non Executive Director

Sarah Evans, born in 1963, was appointed to the Board on 30 November 2008 and is Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee. Sarah is a Chartered Accountant and was a former partner in the financial services practice of Ernst & Young. Sarah is also Chairman of The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society, another mutual.

 Alan harris - Non Executive Director

Alan Harris, born in 1956, was appointed to the Board on 1^st July 2011.  Alan is a Chartered  Insurer  and a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute. He holds an MBA from City University Business School and is an alumnus of the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.

Alan is the former Operations Director of the major financial services group NFU Mutual and was also Chief Executive of the niche insurer Avon Insurance Plc.  Alan is a member of the Society’s Retail Credit Risk Committee and is also a Non Executive Director at the City law firm, Clyde & Co where he is also Senior Adviser on Strategy.

Michelle Tennens - Non Executive Director & Senior Independent Director

Michelle Tennens, born in 1967, was appointed to the Board in 2006 and is a member of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Chairman's and Nominations Committee.  A specialist in the field of marketing, Michelle is the founding director of redPepper Marketing Ltd and is a consultant at Reformation Associates Ltd. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Charles Tilley - Non Executive Director

Charles Tilley, born in 1950, was appointed to the Board on 30 November 2008. Charles is a Chartered Accountant and is the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He became a partner of KPMG in 1986 and subsequently held senior positions in the investment banking sector, including Group Finance Director of Hambros Plc. Charles is also a Non-Executive Director of Great Ormond Street Hospital and Chairman of their Audit Committee. Charles is a member of the Society's Audit and Compliance Committee and Assets and Liabilities Committee.

Paul Winter - Chief Executive