Saffron Building Society poised to elect its first female chair in its 173-year history

29 March 2023

Saffron Building Society is preparing to make history at its forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) when the first-ever female Chair will be elected.

On Tuesday 18th April 2023 Saffron will hold its AGM and Barbara Anderson is poised to take the Chair – the first female to do so in the Society’s 173-year history – taking over from Nick Treble. Barbara, an award-winning Non-Executive Director who recently scooped a gong at the prestigious Non-Executive Director Awards, joined Saffron in 2022 as Chair Designate. Barbara will work with her Board colleagues to deliver the Society’s vision and values, she says: “Saffron is a member-owned business, so my role as incoming Chair is to ensure the Society makes the right long-term choices so it can thrive for many years to come. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues and members at Saffron following the upcoming AGM.”

The role of community in business is also a large focus for Barbara, she continues: “Building societies play a key role in supporting local communities with their financial health and I think this is especially important when times get tough, as they are right now for many people. I believe building societies can be closer to communities than big banks, which is something I’ll encourage Saffron to continue to do.”

Barbara has a portfolio career and holds several other Non-Executive Director roles across small- to medium-sized enterprises in different sectors. Some of the positions Barbara currently holds include Chair of the Energy Saving Trust; Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at British Business Bank; and Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and Member of the Treasury Committee for Sovereign Housing Association.

Barbara adds: “After joining the Society as Chair Designate, I have been getting to know Saffron and its people in preparation for taking over as Chair post the AGM in April. I bring lots of prior experience in Chair, Non-Executive Director, CEO, and Commercial Strategy roles, and my career has spanned a wide range of sectors including finance, energy, telecoms, retail, and strategy consultancy.”