Temporary Branch Closures
Due to unforeseen circumstances our Colchester branch will be closed -
Saturday 18 September
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please visit any of our other branches or call us on 0800 072 1100.
Corporate information
Information about Saffron Building Society
Board of Directors
The board of the Saffron Building Society is made up of executive and non-executive directors. The role of the directors is to deal with the day-to-day running of the Society, while non-executive directors, who are from a range of different backgrounds, bring an outside perspective to the management of the Society and also represent the views of the membership.
Board of Directors
Biography
Colin Field was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in September 2015.
He joined the Society in 2013 as Group Financial Controller, being promoted to Chief Financial Officer in May 2014.
Colin is a Chartered Accountant who prior to joining Saffron had held a number of senior management positions with Barclays, Caudwell Group and Willis Group.
Biography
David is a risk management leader with 40 years’ experience in financial services across both consumer and corporate lending in the Uk and across Europe.
His executive career includes risk management and business leadership roles within Lloyd’s Banking Group and GE Capital including overseas assignments in Stockholm and Amsterdam.
David joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in April 2020 and chairs the Board Risk Committee.
Biography
Gary is an IT leader with over 25 years' experience in industry, including retail, manufacturing, health and services. Most recently, Gary was Group IT Director for Dixons Group.
Gary joined the Board in April 2014 as a Non-Executive Director.
Biography
Jenny Ashmore is a marketing and commercial leader, with a focus on the changes from digital and online channels. Her executive career spans consumer, media and oil/utilities, including management team roles at Procter & Gamble, Mars Inc, Yell Group and SSE plc. She is an NED for Commonwealth Games England.
Jenny joined the Board in May 2015 as a Non-Executive Director and Chairs the Remuneration and Loans Committee.
Jenny became Senior Independent Director and was appointed Vice Chair in May 2020.
Biography
Neil is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years' experience in financial services. He has held a number of executive roles mainly in financial control and risk management.
Neil joined the Board in April 2014 as a Non-Executive Director and Chairs the Audit Committee. He supports the solid foundation of assurance and governance that the Society has built.
Biography
Nick has 30 years' experience in financial services, working primarily in the areas of treasury, capital markets, risk management, retail and commercial banking; most recently as CEO of Allied Irish Bank GB. He is a Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.
Nick joined the Board in April 2014 as a Non-Executive Director and was appointed Vice Chairman in May 2016.
Biography
Robin joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in January 2021 bringing over 20 years’ experience in senior financial services roles, most recently at Leeds Building Society where he was Chief Financial Officer. Robin is a Chartered Management Accountant.”
Biography
Trevor Slater joined the Society as Chief Financial Officer in June 2020.
He has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry having previously been the Finance Director at Ipswich Building Society and prior to that held a number of senior management positions with Clydesdale Bank. Trevor is both a chartered banker and chartered management accountant.
Executive Team
Biography
Antony joined the Executive Team in September 2015 as IT Director, responsible for IT at Saffron.
He joined Saffron in 2011 as the Chief Architect for the Technology Transformation programme and is a senior IT professional with over 20 years’ experience in industry, including education, commercial and financial sectors.
Biography
John Penberthy-Smith was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer in April 2020.
John is a customer centric commercial leader, with a track record of connecting businesses with their consumers. His executive career spans, retail, telecoms, public sector and financial services including senior roles at Dixons Stores Group, Vodafone, Three, Eircom and the Money Advice Service.
Biography
Rajeev joined the Executive Team as Chief Risk Officer in January 2019, responsible for all risk entered into by Saffron.
He was previously the Head of Credit Risk and has also worked at Santander, Nationwide and Barclaycard, across both secured and unsecured lending.
Our Team and Structure
Meet the Team
Our people are our greatest asset so we’d like to introduce you to some of them.
Meet the Saffron teamGroup Structure
For details of the companies included in the SBS Group please see our SBS Group Structure.
SBS group structureAbout Saffron
Saffron Building Society is your regional building society that understands your needs. We pride ourselves on being a mutual organisation, which means we're owned by you, our members and exist solely for your benefit.
Find out more