2 Grange Park Road, Cottingley, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1NP

STEVEN SPILSBURY

Tel: 01274 563968 Mob: 07860 877023 E-mail:

CurrentlyNon Executive Director of VernonBuilding Society and Managing Director of Locallife (Bradford) Ltd.

Previously interim Chief Executive, who led, directed and managed the strategy and supported the implementation of two start-up retail financial services businesses for Benfield Group, one of the world’s largest corporate re-insurance brokers.

Former Divisional Chief Executive and Main Board Directorof UK’s second largest Building Society

Career Details

2006 – Date Locallife (Bradford) LtdJoint Managing Director

2002 – Date Vernon BSNon Executive Director -Chairman (from 2005)

2000 – 2002 Benfield Group Interim Chief Executive and consultant

1998 - 1999 DBS Financial Management PLCInterim Marketing Director

1996 - 1997 Bradford & BingleyBuilding SocietyDivisional Chief Executive

1988 - 1996 Group Sales & Marketing Director/General Manager Finance & Marketing

2000 – DateVernon Building Society

Chairman of Vernon Building Society, its Nominations Committee and member of Remuneration and Audit Committees.
Re-structured the Board to ensure that the Directors skills and experience were appropriate to today’s business environment by recruiting 3 new Non Executive Directors to replace 3 existing long standing Directors.
In conjunction with the Chief Executive re-structured the management team to support long term succession planning and to provide the skills required within the executive team.
Led the Board during the transition to new capital adequacy requirements, the appointment of new external and internal audit firms, increased corporate governance requirements and the aftermath of the Northern Rock failure.

2006 – Date Locallife (Bradford) Ltd and Respond Marketing

Director of Locallife (Bradford) Ltd and Respond marketing, two associated companies, one providing an online business directory and website design business, the other a general marketing services company.
Built a successful and profitable operation within West Yorkshire in conjunction with a business partner over a two year period.
Successfully negotiated contracts to supply marketing services as an approved supplier to public authorities in the area.

2000 – 2002 Benfield Group

One of the principal re-insurance brokers at Lloyd’s of London seeking to diversify and enhance their profitability by entering the retail financial services marketplace.

Interim Chief Executive of two group subsidiaries

Review of entry/exit strategy and investment plans for new ventures into consumer financial services including negotiations with financial backers and underwriting syndicates.Supervised the development and implementation of operations and infrastructure for multi-channel general and life/pension intermediaries. Developed sales and marketing strategies for the companies.

1998– 1999 DBS Financial Management PLC

Leading Financial Services plc (Market Capitalisation of £90 million) with over 2600 ‘registered individuals’ engaged in the provision of independent personal financial advice through over 1800 outlets.

Marketing Director

Development of sales and marketing strategies and product ranges for 2,600 registered individuals.Provision of technical research and competitive financial product information.Recruitment and training of marketing team of six executives for roles in business development, PR and corporate communications, insurance company and investment house relations.Development of relationship with insurance companies, unit trusts and investment houses to build long term strategic alliances.

1996 – 1997Bradford & BingleyBuilding Society

Main Board Director with career including Directorship of three offshore companies, personal pension and PEP companies and ‘appropriate mortgage companies’. Bradford and Bingley representative at meetings with the Building Societies Association, Financial Services Authority, H M Treasury and DTI up to Ministerial level.

Divisional Chief Executive of UK’s largest independent financial advisory business. 800 employees including 500 in field sales operating from 250 offices.Restructured sales operations to improve customer strike rates and introduced state-of-the-art PC sales aids that together increased sales by 45% (£15 million p.a.).Negotiated revised terms with major insurance companies that improved profits by £3m p.a.Slimmed down sales force and cut costs by £2m p.a.Repositioned the organisation as market leader in PEP service to FTSE100 blue chip companies with customers including BP, Glaxo, ICI, Sainsburys etc. £400m portfolio.

1994 – 1996Bradford & BingleyBuilding Society

Group Sales & Marketing Director, One of four man senior executive team leading the Bradford & Bingley Building Society Group.
Management of the Sales & Marketing for 250 branches, 2 direct service centres and 1 off shore subsidiary with 2,000 employees and £50 million p.a. budget.Strategic control of 6 PR and marketing managers with £12 million p.a. sales and marketing budget that included TV, press, direct marketing, sponsorship, merchandising and branding of 250 branches.Negotiation of operational terms and conditions and creation and launch of new products. Set up affinity plastic card operation with one of largest US groups.
Interest rate margin management and computation and setting of interest rates for 2.5 million domestic customers, savers, investors and borrowers with £13 billion mortgage loans and £12 billion personal savings.Third party negotiation and price setting for general insurance, PEPs, life and pensions, credit cards and unsecured loans.Strategic responsibility for achievement of corporate financial targets on new business inflows and bottom-line profit.

1991 – 1994Group Sales Director

Leadership of 5 regional managers controlling operations through 250 branches, 400 branch agents, 400 intermediaries and 2,000 employees. Additional responsibility for credit control department of 250 employees managing 20,000 arrears cases and 2,400 annual property repossessions and sales.Introduced new IT, telephone and direct sales based processes to reduce arrears levels and negotiated settlement of insurance indemnity claims with insurers. Recovered £100 million and reduced arrears levels by 50% (10,000 cases).

Set up UK’s most successful mortgage rescue scheme to save defaulting borrowers from dispossession. In liaison with solicitors, devised new legal/financial structure that led to the set up of several independent Housing Associations with £50 million fund to acquire repossession properties and to re-house the borrowers as tenants.

In liaison with FSA, restructured financial planning compliance processes, introducing new training and assessment procedures and organisational change that achieved £3 million p.a. cost savings and removed reputational risk.
Built national sales team negotiating at CEO level with major estate agencies and insurance companies included Allied Dunbar, Hambro Countrywide, Prudential, and General Accident etc., which achieved 33% of the society’s mortgage business.

1988 – 1991 General Manager, Finance & Marketing

60 employees including chartered accountants and tax specialists responsible for finance, treasury and taxation functions with £2 billion liquid and wholesale funds.Liaison with external auditors, credit rating agencies, investment houses, money brokers and merchant bankers.Under Building Societies Act 1986 devised diversification policy. Set up PEP fund Management Company and grew corporate PEP to UK market leadership with £400 million funds.
Set up financial advisory business selling life insurance, personal pensions, investments, unit trusts and PEPs that became UK market leader with £50 million turnover.Successfully negotiated the acquisition of 10 regional building societies with aggregate assets of £250 million.Formed unsecured lending subsidiary in liaison with Forward Trust. Developed profiling and credit scoring systems.Introduced a commercial and housing association lending programme, which achieved loans of £800 million contributing £15 million to profits.

Earlier appointments

1985 – 1988Assistant General Manager – Sales & Distribution
1979 – 1985Regional Manager
1975 – 1979Area Manager
1970 – 1975District Manager
1961 – 1970Head Office – Finance Department