The Society has given Rachael the responsibility for leading her own team and helping to re-establish its presence in Yarm and its surrounding communities.
Rachael, who joined the Society in 2006, managed the Consett Branch before being accepted onto the Ocademy Programme, which is run by the Society’s fully owned subsidiary Newcastle Financial Services and their advice distributor Openwork, to undertake the rigorous programme to train as a qualified financial adviser.
Her role will not only be to lead the branch team and branch operations but as a qualified Financial Planning Manager she will also offer face to face financial planning advice inside the branch.
The development of the new Yarm branch forms part of a £10m investment programme that Newcastle Building Society is undertaking this year to improve the way it delivers its service to customers, with improvements being made to its branch network, telephone and digital offering, and operational infrastructure.
Rachael says: “I’m looking forward to welcoming both old and new customers into our new community branch, to getting to know them and understand how we can help them manage their personal finances in the best possible way. It’s great I have the opportunity to do this in such a unique environment with a great community focus.
“Yarm is a lovely community and I hope to build a welcoming atmosphere in the branch and connect with library visitors and customers.”
Steve Urwin, Managing Director of Sales and Marketing at Newcastle Building Society, adds: “Our branch network is at the core of what we are as a mutual organisation – while we’ve broadened our services through telephone and internet-based operations, we remain absolutely committed to providing the face to face service our customers want.
“We’re excited to be to returning a branch to Yarm through this unique undertaking, and to give local people even better access to the financial services and advice that we offer.”