About us

Steven joined The Stafford Building Society Board in June 2018 as Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director, in August 2022 he was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has a strong background in the financial services sector having spent over 30 years in a variety of senior positions. These have covered Corporate Planning, Strategy, IT, Underwriting, Risk, Secretarial, and General Operations.

Outside of the Society he is a Corporation Member of Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, where he also holds the position of Vice Chair of the Audit Committee. He brings a wealth of experience, from a wider context having served as a trustee and Chair of two regional charities and a Housing Association.

Rob joined The Society in June 2019 as Head of Product Strategy and Communications. In November 2022 he was appointed as Chief Operating Officer and was co-opted to the Board in November 2023. He has responsibility for the Society’s IT & Change Management, Sales & Marketing, Underwriting, Branch, Retail and Member Operations.

He graduated from Staffordshire University in 2002 and has 19 years background in the financial services sector in a variety of roles include Operations, Sales, and IT.  Outside of the Society he is the Chair of Trust for a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) and has previously held other voluntary roles including parish councillor and Chair of a school governing body.

Joanne Hindle trained as a lawyer specialising in commercial law. She has worked in a variety of roles in the financial services industry for over 30 years ending her executive career as Corporate Services Director for the disability insurer, Unum.

Since 2008 she has held a range of Non Executive roles and today is Chair of the Shepherds Friendly Society and a Non Executive at the Bank of London and the Middle East as well as chairing the board of Stafford Railway Building Society.

Gary is Chair of the Audit Committee. He is a Chartered Banker with over thirty years’ experience in Financial Services. Gary previously held senior commercial positions in strategy, business transformation and Risk & Business management as well as expertise as a university professor of innovation and leadership.

Gary is a passionate believer in the mutual building society model and the long term benefits of member ownership. He has lived locally for over forty years.

David currently works as a business consultant across a number of different industries, both in the UK and overseas. He is also serves on the Board of an investment-based Friendly Society.

He previously held a wide variety of senior positions in Banks, Building Societies, Insurance and Pensions organisations.

David joined the Board in 2017 and became Chair of the Risk Committee in May 2019. He has considerable experience of first and second line Risk responsibility including the management of regulated product sales.

The combination of a strong depth and breadth of experience with contemporary knowledge enables David to make a strong contribution to the Board.

Ray is currently Chief Risk Officer for Schroders Personal Wealth,  a joint Venture between Lloyds Banking Group and Schroders,  and is Executive Sponsor of their Disability Awareness Network as well as being the Executive sponsor for Vulnerable Clients.

He has held over 25 board roles in the UK and EU and is currently on the board of Horton Housing,  a not-for-profit housing association in Bradford supporting socially disadvantaged people across Yorkshire including Afghan and Ukrainian refugees.    Ray is a member of the Group Audit and Risk Committee and the Policy and Resources Committee at Horton.

Ray has had a number of senior roles in Banking, Insurance, Wealth Management and Financial Advice businesses over his 42 year career including Managing Director of Halifax Financial Services and Risk Director for the UKs largest Retail Bank.    As a qualified Actuary and with over 10 years experience of senior risk roles Ray is well placed to contribute to the Board and the success of The Stafford.

Alison is a customer focused leader, with significant financial services experience, having headed up commercial marketing teams across the Barclays Group. This experience includes Retail, Wealth, Financial Planning, Business and Corporate Banking, together with the Barclaycard payments business.

In addition to her financial services experience, Alison is a Trustee of The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a charity with 48 veterinary hospitals across the UK providing care for sick and injured pets.

Alison brings strong marketing, digital transformation and customer experience to the Stafford Board.  She is committed to delivering for customers, and is delighted to be joining a mutual business focused on building long term value and benefit for the community it serves.

Although Ian is a proud Aberdonian, he has lived in the North West since 2000. Married to Dawn, he has 2 boys and recently retired from full time work.

Immediately prior to his retirement, Ian was a Divisional Director at Nationwide Building Society and has previously held executive roles at both Barclays and Bank of America leading large operational and technology functions, both in the UK and internationally.

Ian is also a Non-Executive Director with Southport & Ormskirk NHS Hospital Trust and a Trustee with 2 North West based charities, Willowbrook Hospice and The Brain Charity, where he also chairs their Digital & Technology Committees.

Jonathan is a Professor of Practice at Nottingham University Business School, holding two degrees in Mathematics and an MBA. His professional background includes serving as Group Chief Executive of a large multinational business, Finance Director, Strategy Director, Non Executive Director, Chair of Audit, Cofounder, and Advisor in sectors including financial services, retail and consumer, pharmaceuticals, and real estate, working both in the UK and internationally.

As well as his role as non-executive Executive Director at the Stafford Building Society, Jonathan is a retained corporate finance advisor to a FTSE-250 business and regularly advises various clients on corporate finance matters, including private equity companies and strategic investors.

Jonathan was born and bred in Staffordshire and is married with three children.