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A word from the Chief Executive
As I cast an eye back over my eight years as Chief Executive, I do so with one enduring thought. Since joining the Society, I have viewed my position as nothing more than the custodian of a few chapters in the Principality story.
And as we celebrate our 150th year, the significance of this sentiment resonates more profoundly than ever. My time in office represents just five per cent of Principality’s long and eventful history but probably the most exciting chapter in the story so far!
Writing the next could be a little more complicated. The “nice decade”, and all that we once took for granted, has disappeared. But if there’s one thing that a glance back in time reveals, it’s that the ups and downs of life – both commercial and personal – are a permanent fixture. Things have been tough recently, but this is nothing new. Economic downturns come and go but, as Principality has proved, they can be weathered and prosperity maintained.
Now it’s time for innovative, entrepreneurial and ethical ideas to once again come to the fore. The mutual model will enter a period of renaissance as the public mood and sentiment shifts away from corporate bodies to co-ownerships, co-operatives and mutuals alike.
This is something I’m well wedded to. Brought up as the fifth of eight children in a council house environment in Tenby, I have always believed that, while the home ownership aspiration is right for many, it is not right for all.
My childhood was based on a working class ethic of hard work and thrift. These values hold good today in both my personal and commercial life and blend seamlessly with the Principality’s objectives to build on our trusted brand and to support the Society’s members in their aspirations.
Skip forward 150 years and I’ll bet another Chief Executive will be saying much the same. Thankfully, some things don’t change.