The Association of British Credit Unions (Abcul) is on the search for a new chief executive after Mark Lyonette announced he would be leaving the organisation in May.
Mr Lyonette has been with Abcul for over 20 years. He is moving on to join the National Pharmacy Association as chief executive in June.
During his time at the trade body, membership has almost quadrupled and assets have grown by nearly 900%. He has also helped to secure various legislative reforms for credit unions and maintain proportionate regulation for the sector following the 2008 crisis. Mr Lyonette was also chief executive of Abcul’s subsidiary, Cornerstone Mutual Services, which is delivering the Credit Union Expansion Project on its behalf. The government funded project was designed to provide a core new banking system and mobile app for credit unions members. So far, only three credit unions of the 35 which signed up for the new shared platform have gone live.
“It has been a great pleasure to have been part of the growth of the credit union movement for so many years,” said Mr Lyonette. “We have achieved a huge amount working together with our members. It has been a privilege and an honour to have had the opportunity to serve our members, their credit unions and the sector as a whole.
“I will be sad to leave the sector and many friends after so many years but I leave behind me a strong management team which is dedicated to providing an excellent service to members, day in and day out. I have every confidence that the Association and the movement will go from strength to strength.”
Abcul president, Robert Kelly, said: “On behalf of the Abcul board and wider Abcul family I would like to pay tribute to Mark’s huge contribution to the development of the credit union sector in Britain. He has dedicated such significant time and energy to developing our organisation and wider sector in his 13 years as chief executive and 20 years overall service with Abcul.
“His strategic vision, leadership and desire for collaboration will be missed and we wish him every success in his future endeavours. The Abcul board is firmly focused on ensuring the transitional period is delivered in the most effective way possible as we continue to meet member needs.”
With Mr Lyonette moving on, Abcul is looking for a new chief executive to take on the leadership of the organisation, which includes 200 credit unions. Details of the position are available here.
