The board of the Association of British Credit Unions (Abcul) has appointed Paul Norgrove president of the association.
Mr Norgrove takes over from Karen Bennett who has served as president of ABCUL for the past four years.
Mr Norgrove thanked Ms Bennett “for all she has done to move the association and the sector forward in her time on the board,” adding: “I owe Karen a deep debt of gratitude for her leadership, vision and determination to put members’ interests first at all times.”
Abcul is the main trade association for credit unions in Britain, representing the majority of British credit unions to governments, policy makers and the media. It is governed by a board of volunteer directors who appoint officers, such as the president, vice president, treasurer and secretary from members of the board.
Mr Norgrove added: “I am truly honoured and proud to be elected by the Abcul board. I will do my best to lead the board in the exciting times ahead and always seek to improve our service to members.”
Mr Norgrove’s experience in the credit union sector spans a decade, and prior to this he worked in non-profits. He is currently chief executive of Serve and Protect Credit Union, which provides financial services to police, prison, military, fire and health service personnel and their families in the UK.
Mr Norgrove received the World Young Credit Union Professionals (WYCUP) scholarship in 2014 and serves on the WYCUP Steering Committee. He is co-founder and former chair of the Abcul Young Professionals Network.
“Through my experience in the sector, I have gained a greater sense of the challenges and opportunities facing credit unions,” said Mr Norgrove. “I am very thankful and looking forward to continuing to work amongst industry leaders, hear new perspectives and provide my voice and vision.
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“I look forward to leading the board and working with member credit unions in the months and years ahead. Challenges remain in place for the sector to navigate but we also have hugely exciting opportunities in front of us. Let’s grasp those opportunities and work collaboratively to deliver real change.”
