She is currently head of customer transformation at Barclays where she is responsible for customer service levels among the high street bank’s frontline staff, after joining the lender last November.

The mutual says Allen will take up her new post from interim chief executive officer Alasdair Lenman “early next year”. Her appointment is subject to regulatory approval.

Allen has more than 25 years of experience in financial services having held senior executive positions at a number of large retail banks in the UK.

Prior to Barclays, she worked at Santander UK for almost seven years in a variety of roles, leaving as chief executive, retail and business banking last November.

Before that she worked at Royal Bank of Scotland for almost five years, leaving as chief executive, customer solutions group in March 2015.

She is also a former board member of banking trade body UK Finance, joining in September 2019, and has been awarded an OBE.

Yorkshire Building Society has assets of £56.4bn and nearly 3 million customers. Its subsidiary companies include broker-only lender Accord Mortgages.

Yorkshire Building Society chairman John Heaps, says: “Susan’s skills and expertise will be of significant benefit to our members as we continue to invest in our digital servicing capability to help more members interact with the Society how, when and where they want to, and this will complement our branch and telephone channels.”

Allen adds that the group’s “sustainable mutual business model means it is well positioned to adapt to the changing needs of its members”.