Chief executive of Swansea Building Society, Alun Williams, has officially been named the longest current serving boss of a UK mutual.
It following 21 years at the helm of the Swansea headquartered building society.
He took up his role as chief executive in May 2001, following roles as director of banking business at Bank of Wales, and head of securities at Williams & Glyn Bank.
At the time of his appointment it had total assets of £34m, which now stand at more than £500m,
Confirmation that he is the sector’s longest serving chief executive has confirmed by the archivist of the Building Societies Association. It comes as Swansea Building Society gears up for its 100-year anniversary and follows the Society posting record results, experiencing sustained growth, and passing several significant milestones.
Chairman of the mutual, Ieuan Griffiths, said: “Alun’s contribution to the success of Swansea Building Society over the past 21 years cannot be overstated. We all congratulate Alun on these achievements, as well as his new status as the sector’s longest serving Chief Executive. Over the years, he has accrued extensive experience – through a changing financial landscape – and is rightly held up as a shining example of how to lead a small building society towards a level of success that is recognised UK wide.
“Through all this, Alun and the society has always put the customers first, an ethos, which I think is at the heart of its success. I look forward to continuing to work with Alun and carrying on our good work of widening our geographic reach through further branches.”
Mr Williams said: “I’m delighted to have been named as the longest serving chief executive in the building society sector. During the 21 years I’ve held the position we’ve weathered several global financial storms, and most recently the pandemic. Through all this time, we have held fast to our ethos of opening and not closing branches, enabling our customers to access our personal, face-to-face service.
“We have also moved with the times and introduced online services for our members, allowing them to access their savings in a way that suits them best. We have also invested heavily in IT infrastructure at our branches, both to make our services more convenient and to increase the security and safety of our systems. We have recently expanded our staff with a number of key hires to maintain the promptness and reach of our services.
“As we move towards our centenary celebration, the society is in a stronger position than ever before and, though the future is always uncertain, I believe this strength will allow us to help even more people plan their finances securely and get the mortgages they need to buy their dream home.”
