Executives & Board Members
Executives
Nyree Legge - General Manager - Branches
Born in Carlisle in 1978, Nyree attended Trinity School. She joined the Society in 1994 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, Nyree was the Head of the Society's Customer Service and Personnel & Training Departments. Nyree is currently responsible for Branches and the Group's Estate Agents subsidiaries.
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 subsidiary of the Society.
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.
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.
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.
Susanne Parry - Assistant General Manager - Customer Service Development
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.
Board Members
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 is the Society's Senior Independent Director. Alan 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
Desmond 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.
Peter Temple - Deputy Chief Executive
Born in 1961, Peter went to school in Brampton and joined the Society on graduating from London University in 1982. He has since obtained a Masters Degree in Business Administration and has undertaken a wide range of roles leading up to his appointment to the Board in 2007. Peter is the Executive Director responsible for Branches, Marketing, Commercial Sales and Service and the Group's Estate Agents, Financial Planning and Vehicle Finance subsidiaries.
Gill Gardner - Board Member
Born in 1964, Gill joined the Society's Board in September 2012. She is a member of the Board Risk Committee. Gill is Council Secretary of The Co-operative Group, working in Manchester. This corporate governance role follows over 20 years working in private practice as a corporate lawyer, latterly with Brabners LLP. Gill lives in Arkholme, near Kirkby Lonsdale.
Eric Gunn - Board Member
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 - Board Member
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.
Michael Hulme - Board Member
Born in 1957, Michael joined the Society as a Non-Executive Director in September 2015. He is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. Michael has a background in founding and supporting innovative businesses. For the past 20 years he has been involved in research based consultancy examining the impact of technological change on strategy and behaviour, working with many national and international brands, including several in the financial services sector. He has been a Non-Executive Director of several public companies and been actively involved in regional development in the North West Region. Locally he is currently a Non-Executive Director of South Lakes Housing and an Honorary Professorial Fellow of Lancaster University Management School. Michael lives in Arnside.
John Kidd - Finance Director
Born in 1965, John joined the Society in 1994 as Financial Controller, and was appointed to the Board in 2002 as Finance Director. He has Executive Director responsibility for IT, Group Legal Services and Treasury. John was born in Carlisle and attended Trinity School. He is a graduate of Newcastle University and a chartered accountant. Prior to joining the Cumberland, he worked in Newcastle for KPMG.
Chris McDonald - Operations & HR Director
Born in 1962, Chris joined the Cumberland in 2006 and was appointed to the Board in 2014. He graduated at Sheffield University and, prior to joining the Society, had over 20 years experience in marketing. He has worked in a variety of roles with the Cumberland and currently has Executive Director responsibility for the Society’s Head Office operations, change management and HR.