Samantha Ward has been appointed to the Dudley Building Society’s main board as commercial director.

Ward (pictured) will have responsibility for the P&L across the Society as well as product development, marketing and the business development proposition.

She joined the Society straight from school in 2001. She is a graduate of the Society’s Executive Development Programme (EDP), which was introduced by chief executive, Jeremy Wood, as part of an overhaul of employee development in a far reaching strategic review of the Society and its needs when he joined the Society in 2012.

The EDP’s aims are to encourage and mentor staff members, who demonstrate the potential to succeed and the desire to become part of the management team.

In her role as head of commercial, Ward has been responsible for the successful development of new residential mortgage business as well as marketing, product and growth strategy.

Wood said: “We are delighted to welcome Sam to the Dudley board, a promotion which is richly deserved. I have no doubt that Sam would have succeeded in any environment, but she has shown conclusively that every school leaver can succeed given the right environment and support, which is what we have built at DBS.

“The Development Programme has been a factor in Sam’s career success, but much of the credit is hers as she has applied herself diligently to each of the roles to which she has been assigned since she joined while also finding time to graduate in Banking Practice and Financial Services Management. I am in no doubt that Sam’s appointment, with her intimate knowledge of the Society, will prove to be a great success and we wish her the best of luck.”

Ward added: “Of course, I am thrilled to be joining the Board of the Society. I would like to think that my promotion will not only encourage my colleagues in the Society but also serve to illustrate that anyone with drive and a strong work ethic can make a success of their career.

“I have been fortunate in the support I have received from within the business in helping me develop my skills and knowledge, but as I have proved, there is no barrier to anyone wanting to go far in the world.

“The Society, along with the market in general, faces a difficult period at the moment. My energies are concentrated on supporting my colleagues and making sure that Dudley Building Society continues to serve its members. Once we are through this crisis, mutual building societies like the Dudley, whose roots are firmly based in the communities from which they started, will have a vital role to play in helping to provide support not only to our members but also as a valuable source of mortgage funding as the housing market returns to normality.”