Darlington Building Society has appointed Alex Windle as its new chief executive, who takes over from Andrew Craddock next April when he steps down after leading the mutual for seven years.  

Windle (pictured) joins from West Brom Building Society, where he was chief customer officer for two-and-a-half years. 

His remit there covered product development, marketing, sales and distribution, customer service, corporate strategy, and environmental, social and governance. 

Prior to that, he worked at Cumberland Building Society for seven years in a variety of senior roles, leaving as chief transformation officer in 2023. 

Earlier in his career, which spans three decades, he held posts at Vodafone, LG Electronics and BP. 

The move from Darlington comes after it last week announced it had topped £1bn in total assets. 

Darlington Building Society chair Rachel Court says: “Alex is an inspirational leader with a wealth of experience in leading the customer and commercial agendas in successful societies, and his experience suits him ideally to leading the Darlington into the next phase of our strategic development.”

Windle adds: “Looking forward, it is vital that we offer our customers choice in the ways they want to be served. I am committed to giving customers choice, and I look forward to working with the team to build on the strong physical presence the Society has in the region, while capitalising on the recent investment in technology to develop a bigger and more meaningful digital service.” 

Windle’s appointment is subject to regulatory approval.