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Committed to caring for our members and the environment

Governance at Anglo-Saxons Friendly Society

Putting members before profits

Our regulators, the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority, expect us to have a Board consisting of a majority of independent Directors and have set expectations that the Directors will have career experience that enables them to use their knowledge and experience to deliver high standards of corporate governance. It is also an expectation that length of time in office is limited – it has become unusual for Non Executive Directors to serve on a board for longer than 10 years.

To meet these modern standards the Society began to replace its Board in late 2019 to -coincide with its incorporation, and this exercise was completed over 2020. Below is information concerning the new Board of Directors.

Meet the Board

Kim Harris – Chairman

Kim Harris

Kim has been associated with the mutual sector for many years, firstly through the Woolwich Building Society where he started as a cashier and progressed to senior management and also at Shepherds Friendly Society where he held both non-executive and executive positions.  At Shepherds, Kim acted as an adviser to the board of a start-up digital mortgage broker taking it through to significant venture capital investment.

With a strong social conscience, Kim is passionate about the need to combine ethics with profitability in business. He has personally developed a highly successful recruitment company, a sustainable hill farm in the Yorkshire Dales and a “glamping” venture with a strong focus on the environment

Outside of work Kim is an open boat canoeing instructor for the Scout Association and an expedition assessor for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Scheme. He has led youth groups on a number of expeditions including two crossings of the High Atlas Mountains.

Kim has won awards for sustainable land management and wildlife habitat creation; he holds the Freedom of the City of London and is a member of MENSA the high IQ Society.

Paul Osborn – Chief Executive Officer

Paul joined the Society in November 2020 to take over as Chief Executive.

Paul has a 26 years affiliation with the friendly Society and mutual sector. He recently spent 13 years at Foresters Friendly Society, with 6 years as their Finance Director and 7 years as their Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that he was Head of Finance and Investment at Teachers Provident Society. Paul also sat on the Association of Financial Mutuals Board for 3 years, the trade body for the mutual sector.

He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors.

Outside of work, Paul enjoys walking in the New Forest and on the golf course where he regularly walks much longer distances than the course yardage.

Martin Collins – Chair of Audit and Risk

Martin Collins

Martin is a Chartered Account with over 25 years’ experience in the friendly society movement having started as an Accountant with Holloway Friendly Society before progressing to Finance Director and then Chief Executive. In recent years Martin has worked as a consultant to a number of other friendly societies.

In addition to his position as a Non Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee at Anglo-Saxon Friendly Society, Martin is a member of the With-Profits Committee at Healthy Investment, the Chairman of Gloucester Charities Trust and Treasurer and Director of the Community Library in Painswick.

When not working, Martin enjoys travel and combines this with his hobby of photography. In addition Martin also likes nothing more than a run in his beloved Morgan sports car when the weather permits.

Gez Gibbs – Non-Executive Director

Gez is a qualified solicitor who has been in practise for more than 20 years. Gez is currently an associate solicitor at a large regional practise in Essex where he specialises in employment law and dispute resolution with a particular emphasis on commercial and residential property litigation.

Gez has been a non-executive director at Anglo Saxons since 2018. Gez also serves on the investment committee where his long professional experience in residential property is particularly relevant to the management of the Society’s core assets.   Gez is himself a member of the Society as is his wife. As a member NED, Gez is well-placed to represent members’ interests at board level.

Outside of work, Gez’s interests are golf, skiing, fitness and cooking.

Justine Morrissey – Chair of Investment Committee

Justine Morrissey

Justine is a financial services professional with more than 25 years’ experience working in the Insurance industry including both executive and non-executive roles.

Justine qualified as an actuary in 2000 and has had the opportunity to work in a broad range of actuarial areas from financial reporting through to product development. She maintains her Actuarial knowledge as a Fellow of the Faculty and Institute of Actuaries where she also is a volunteer. Her last executive position was as Finance and Risk Director for a small Friendly Society where she was also a member of the Risk and the With-profits Committees.

She is also a non-executive director at a general insurance company, owned by one of the UK’s largest charities, where she chairs both the Audit and the Risk committees.

Outside of work Justine enjoys walks out in the country. She loves all types of music and in particular adores to hear her two sons play their own songs on the guitar. Justine also spends time making jewellery.

Liz Woolman – Non-Executive Director, Deputy Chair and Senior Independent Director

Liz Woolman

Liz is a Non–Executive Director for Local Pensions Partnership Administration who provide pensions administration services for 600,000 members of Local Government Pensions Schemes Companies and is an Executive Coach and Founder at Reconnect Business Coaching.

She volunteers as Chair of Governors for a Kent Primary School and is a Trustee for a local Christian Charity.

Liz has over 20 years’ experience in FTSE 100 organisations in the Financial Services & Global Technology Sector, where she held Senior Executive positions in a wide range of functions including Human Resources, Sales, Marketing, Strategy and Commercial Product Management.

Liz has a degree in Management Studies and an MBA, she is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has spent significant periods in her career living and working overseas.

Documents

Document title Format/size Date uploaded
Anglo-Saxons Friendly Society Rules

pdf / 11.96 MB

01/11/2023

Anglo-Saxons Friendly Society Memorandum

pdf / 80.64 KB

20/10/2021

Annual Report and Financial Statements (Year Ending 31st December 2019)

pdf / 1.80 MB

12/03/2021

Annual Report and Financial Statements (Year Ending 31 December 2020)

pdf / 2.57 MB

25/08/2021

Annual Report and Financial Statements (Year Ending 31 December 2021)

pdf / 1.33 MB

29/04/2022

Annual Report and Financial Statements (Year Ending 31 December 2022)

pdf / 1.04 MB

28/04/2023

Annual Report and Financial Statements (Year Ending 31 December 2023)

pdf / 1.76 MB

30/04/2024

Audit and Risk Committee - Terms of Reference

pdf / 186.88 KB

30/08/2023

Investment Committee - Terms of Reference

pdf / 4.74 MB

20/04/2023

Board Manual

pdf / 233.34 KB

25/11/2021

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