Our Board and Senior Management Team
Senior Management
Des Moore - Chief Executive
Des was appointed as the Society's Chief Executive and joined the Board in April 2018. He is a member of the Nomination Committee. He has over 30 years' experience in retail and commercial banking. Before joining the Society, Des spent 5 years as Managing Director of First Trust Bank, the trading division of AIB (UK) plc's Northern Ireland operations. He has also held a number of previous senior positions at Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB and National Irish Bank. Des lives in Carlisle.
Alex Windle - General Manager - Marketing
Alex joined the Society as General Manager - Marketing in May 2016, with responsibility for the Group’s marketing and business development activities. Alex has considerable experience in this field, having held senior marketing roles at LG and Vodafone, and most recently UK Marketing Director and Global Product Director at BP where he was responsible for BP Retail’s global marketing and innovation strategy, with a particular focus on digital transformation.
Gary Richardson - General Manager - IT
Born in 1967, Gary was born in Caldbeck and went to school in Dalston, joining the Society straight from school in 1985. He has undertaken a wide range of roles leading up to his current position of General Manager IT and is responsible for IT, Office Services and Premises.
Simon Whitwham - General Manager - Cumberland Business
Born in 1965, Simon joined the Society in 2014 as General Manager Operations. Simon’s career since graduating from Keele University in 1986 has been spent in retail financial services with three building societies and a law firm. In July 2017, Simon was appointed General Manager - Cumberland Business, the commercial lending department of the Society.
Susanne Parry - Assistant General Manager - Business Change
Born in Carlisle, Susanne attended Trinity School. She joined the Society in 1988 and has undertaken a wide variety of roles in the Society's Head Office and Branch network. Prior to her appointment as an Assistant General Manager, Susanne held roles as Head of Mortgages, Contact Team and HR Department. Susanne is currently responsible for the implementation of new products and services, testing and introducing changes to the Society’s processes and systems.
Sam Lyon - Assistant General Manager - Operations
Sam grew up in Wigton and graduated in Law and Accountancy at Newcastle University. He returned to Cumbria to train as a solicitor, becoming a partner in a local law firm before joining the Society in 2014. Sam is Assistant General Manager with responsibility for the Society’s customer services and back-office operations team. He is also a governor at a local primary school.
Jill Johnston - Head of People and Culture
Jill has over 20 years experience in HR and has held a variety of senior positions for organisations including the Guardian Media Group, Border TV and TeamRock Limited. Most recently she’s been running her own HR consultancy business. Outside of work she’s a Director of the University of Cumbria board and an appointed mentor for Inspira. Jill is married with three children and lives in Carlisle.
Will O'Carroll - Chief Risk Officer
Will joined the Society as Chief Risk Officer in July 2017 with responsibility for overall management of the Society’s risk controls, reporting directly to the Board (through the Board Risk Committee) in relation to its risk management arrangements. Will has considerable experience in this field, having held senior risk roles at Tesco Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and most recently leading the oversight of Retail and Small Business Credit Risk for the Future Williams and Glyn lending book at RBS.
Paul Vines - Head of Group Legal Services & Secretary
Paul joined the Society in February 2017 as Head of Group Legal Services and Secretary. He is also the Society’s Data Protection Officer and Secretary to the Society’s pension fund. Paul qualified as a solicitor in 2002 in the City of London where he worked in private practice prior to a gaining considerable experience through senior in-house roles at a FTSE listed business. He lives in Morland, near Penrith, and is a keen hill walker.
Non-Executive Directors
Trevor Hebdon - Chairman
Born in 1954, Trevor joined the Society's Board in December 2009 and was appointed Chairman in September 2016. He is a member of the Audit Committee and the Board Risk Committee. He was chief executive of the H&H Group until his retirement in 2008 and has a background in the banking industry. Trevor is a trustee of Carlisle Cathedral Development Trust. Trevor lives in Rosley, near Wigton.
Alan Johnston - Vice-Chairman
Born in 1960, Alan was appointed to the Board in 2011, and appointed as Vice-Chairman in September 2016. He has 30 years experience as an accountant with local firm, Armstrong Watson. He joined Armstrong Watson as a graduate in 1981, was appointed a partner in 1989 and elected senior partner in 2004. Alan is also Chair of Governors at Robert Ferguson School. Alan lives in Carlisle.
Jacqueline Arnold
Jackie joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in March 2018. Jackie has over 35 years' experience in financial and business management. Her most recent position was Head of Strategy at BAE Systems. Prior to this, she held a number of other senior positions with BAE Systems and was Managing Director at Lakeland Power Limited. Jackie is also a Professor of Practice at the University of Cumbria and Vice-Chair of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership. Jackie lives in Barrow-In-Furness.
Eric Gunn
Born in 1961, Eric joined the Society as a Non Executive Director in November 2016. Eric has almost 40 years experience of the UK banking sector, having spent his entire career at Clydesdale Bank PLC. His most recent role was Chief Risk Officer and member of the Executive Management Team, with responsibility for managing the Risk Profile of the UK operations of the National Australia Bank Group. Prior to this, Eric held a number of senior roles within Clydesdale Bank in the UK. Eric lives in Linlithgow.
John Hooper
Born in 1961, John joined the Society as a Non-Executive Director in November 2015. He is Chairman of the Board Risk Committee. Now retired, John was most recently Executive Director UK and on the boards of National Australia Bank Europe Limited and Clydesdale Bank PLC, where, for much of that time, he was responsible for all “back office” services in the UK, including Finance, Treasury, IT and Risk. Prior to this, John held a range of senior roles within the National Australia Bank Group in both the UK and Australia. John lives near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire. He also has a home in Ambleside and has business interests in Cumbria.
Mark Stanger
Mark Stanger lives in Workington and joins the Cumberland with over 30 years’ experience in the accountancy sector. Mark is a senior partner and managing partner with Gibbons, the West Cumbrian-based chartered accountancy practice. Mark is also a member of the Board of Governors at Lakes College in Lillyhall, and, until recently, had held the role of Chairman of the Board for six years.
Michael Hulme
Born in 1957, Michael joined the Society as a Non-Executive Director in September 2015. He is Senior Independent Director, Chair of the People and Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. Michael has a background in founding and investing in innovative businesses. For over 20 years he has been involved in research based consultancy examining the impact of technological change on corporate strategy and personal behaviour, working with many national and multi-national brands including several in the financial services sector He has been a Non-Executive Director of several Public Companies and continues to manage a wide portfolio of investments. Strongly committed to Cumbria, having been directly involved in regional regeneration and investment, Michael lives in Arnside.