Saffron Building Society poised to elect its first female chair in its 173-year history
29 March 2023
Saffron Building Society is preparing to make history at its forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) when the first-ever female Chair will be elected.
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On Tuesday 18th April 2023 Saffron will hold its AGM and Barbara Anderson is poised to take the Chair – the first female to do so in the Society’s 173-year history – taking over from Nick Treble. Barbara, an award-winning Non-Executive Director who recently scooped a gong at the prestigious Non-Executive Director Awards, joined Saffron in 2022 as Chair Designate. Barbara will work with her Board colleagues to deliver the Society’s vision and values, she says: “Saffron is a member-owned business, so my role as incoming Chair is to ensure the Society makes the right long-term choices so it can thrive for many years to come. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues and members at Saffron following the upcoming AGM.” |
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The role of community in business is also a large focus for Barbara, she continues: “Building societies play a key role in supporting local communities with their financial health and I think this is especially important when times get tough, as they are right now for many people. I believe building societies can be closer to communities than big banks, which is something I’ll encourage Saffron to continue to do.”
Barbara has a portfolio career and holds several other Non-Executive Director roles across small- to medium-sized enterprises in different sectors. Some of the positions Barbara currently holds include Chair of the Energy Saving Trust; Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at British Business Bank; and Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and Member of the Treasury Committee for Sovereign Housing Association.
Barbara adds: “After joining the Society as Chair Designate, I have been getting to know Saffron and its people in preparation for taking over as Chair post the AGM in April. I bring lots of prior experience in Chair, Non-Executive Director, CEO, and Commercial Strategy roles, and my career has spanned a wide range of sectors including finance, energy, telecoms, retail, and strategy consultancy.”
