Market Harborough Building Society (MHBS) has appointed Lesley Vernon to the newly created executive position of chief engagement officer.

Vernon (pictured) has over 25 years’ experience in financial services and joins MHBS from the Nottingham Building Society where she was most recently head of customer. She has held senior roles in other financial institutions, such as Santander and Alliance & Leicester, and is chair of trustees for the Stonebridge City Farm charity.

In her new role, Vernon will take ownership for bringing together the society’s members, community partners and colleagues and engaging them in delivery of its Thrive! Agenda, focused on growing its savings and mortgage membership, investing in essential community projects, and becoming an employer of choice in the region.

Iain Kirkpatrick, chief executive at MHBS, said: “I’m personally delighted to welcome Lesley to MHBS in this very purposefully created role. We’ve made great progress with our Thrive Agenda this year, investing in some very worthwhile local causes.

“I’m genuinely excited by what we can achieve by really connecting our members, community partners and colleagues for the benefit of each other, after all it goes right back to the reason building societies were first introduced.”

Vernon said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Society in this new role and at such an exciting time. It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring together everyone in the MHBS family – our members, community partners and colleagues – in a truly unique way, and to unite behind the common goal of improving the lives of everyone in our communities.”