Andrew Craddock (pictured), CEO of Darlington Building Society, will step down at the 2026 annual general meeting (AGM) on 27th April after seven years in the role.
Craddock will retire after a 40-year career in financial services, including 12 years as a chief executive in the mutual sector.
Craddock said: “It has been a privilege to be a steward of the Society’s progress over the past seven years, and I’m proud of what we have achieved.
“It has also been a joy to get to know this fantastic part of the country, and the people who live here.
“In 2026, the Society will celebrate its 170th anniversary of encouraging savings and supporting homeownership, and it feels like an appropriate time to hand over the baton to a new Chief Executive to build on the firm foundations that are in place and take the Society to the next station on its journey into the future.”
Rachel Court, chair of Darlington Building Society, said: “Andrew has been an incredibly successful and transformative CEO of the Society for the past seven years, having led the modernisation of our systems, the implementation of our online savings capability, the enhancement of our culture and our offering to members, and perhaps most crucially of all, having contributed massively to the Society’s presence in and support of our local communities.
“Andrew really has been a fantastic role model for everything that’s good about the Building Society sector and will be massively missed when he retires next year.”
Jack Cullen, former chair of Darlington Building Society, said: “Appointing Andrew as Chief Executive was undoubtedly the best decision I made.
“He has been an inspirational leader who turned an ambitious strategy into a reality during a transformational period.”
