Yorkshire Building Society appoints first female boss

The lender has poached Susan Allen from Barclays to take the helm as its first female chief since it was founded in 1864.

Susan Allen, the next chief executive officer of Yorkshire Building Society (Yorkshire Building Society/PA)

Yorkshire Building Society has hired its first female chief executive officer in the firm’s 158-year history.

The lender has poached Susan Allen from Barclays to take the helm.

Ms Allen is making the move after 10 months at Barclays as the bank’s head of transformation, having worked in the financial services sector for more than 25 years.

Previously, the new boss led Santander’s UK retail and business banking businesses.

Ms Allen said: “I’m really excited to have the opportunity to lead an organisation which has such a strong sense of purpose and which supports members at key points in their lives.

“Yorkshire Building Society’s successful, sustainable mutual business model means it is well positioned to adapt to the changing needs of its members.

“I very much look forward to joining the team and leading the Society to deliver even more value for the members and communities it serves.”

She will take the over in the role from early next year, replacing current interim chief executive Alasdair Lenman.

John Heaps, chairman of the building society, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Susan to Yorkshire Building Society.

“Her skills and expertise will be of significant benefit to our members as we continue to invest in our digital servicing capability to help more members interact with the Society how, when and where they want to, and this will complement our branch and telephone channels.”