Today was my first day back at work following the Christmas and New Year break. This year, my break was slightly extended with a long weekend away with my wife, to celebrate my 40th year (or should that be commiserate?!)
Speaking of birthdays, Saffron Building Society as it enters 2009 will also celebrate a rather special birthday. 160 years of helping local savers and borrowers, keeping their money safe and secure by running a straight forward, profitable business.
Standing the test of time
It is fair to say that no matter who you talk to everybody is concerned about the UK economy in 2009 and whilst I would agree that things are not great, it is easy to forget that there have been other major financial crises in the last 160 years. I myself remember, the recessions of the 70s, 80s and 90s with the three day working week, crippling inflation rates and the dot.comm bubble bursting. Saffron came through all of these unscathed and unlike me avoided the flares in the 70s, the mullet hair style in the 80s and listening to the Spice Girls in the 90s.
So, whilst consumer sentiment is low at the current time and in my view not helped in a big way by bad news media reporting, history tells us that every downside will eventually recover.
In this 160th year, my goal is to continue to run a simple and stable business so Saffron can come through this recession just as it has done before. And, to do my best to treat both our savers and mortgage borrowers as fairly as possible in a reducing interest rate environment.
Speaking of which, I await, with baited breath, this Thursday’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting and their 12.00 noon announcement.
I'm married to Helen with two children, Max and Will.
We have a holiday home near Christchurch on the South coast and are keen boaters, therefore in the summer we can be found most weekends on the water or beaches near Christchurch.
I play the guitar and my 9 year old son has been learning too. This Christmas saw him get his first electric guitar. This, of course, means that mine has been re-strung and together we are proving to be a rather loud Golding household rock band - much to Helen's annoyance!
I didn't want to be a engine driver when I grew up, so my first job was in a bank (folding up customer statements and posting them out and printing cheque books etc.), until I proved myself and quickly got promoted through the ranks to senior management. For my sins I now have 24 years experience in financial services and I'm afraid to say that I love it. When I came to Saffron in 2004, this was my first role in a mutual and I am now fully sold on the concept of serving only your customers, who as members actually own the business. This is a far cry from prioritising shareholder return over customer service in a PLC environment.
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Welcome to the blogoshpere, Andy!
ReplyDeleteHappy 40th and 160th to SaffronBS
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