Thornley Yates joined Hinckley & Rugby in 1997 straight from university, where she studied French and Spanish. Since then, she has undertaken a variety of roles in both the savings and mortgages areas, and currently leads the product, marketing, mortgage sales, and mortgage servicing teams.

She joined the society as a customer assistant in a branch and then worked her way up to director level. She also led the society’s Consumer Duty project during the implementation period earlier this year.

Thornley Yates says: “A quarter century is a long time, and the time is right to expand my horizons. I’ll always be grateful to the Society for the opportunity and freedom to have gained so much experience in different areas of the business, and for supporting me through my BSA Master’s degree and appointment to the Board of IMLA. The people here are like family and are the very essence of what mutuality is all about. Leaving them will truly be the hardest part.”

Hinckley and Rugby chief  executive Colin Fyfe says: “Carolyn has played a major part in the Society’s remarkable success for more than 25 years. The last five years alone have seen significant change and modernisation, in the navigation of which Carolyn has played a crucial part. She will be sorely missed by all at the Society, and by me personally, but I respect her decision and wish her every success with the rest of her career.”