Jonathan Westhoff is to join Newcastle as finance director, taking on responsibility for all finance, treasury and risk operations ensuring that the Society continues its growth on a strong financial base.
Jonathan joins after seven years with Portman Building Society, where he held the positions of director of finance and corporate strategy and ultimately group finance director. Jonathan’s career began with Barclays, with whom he held a variety of roles in the retail bank becoming head of financial planning for Retail Financial Services which, at the time, was the largest business unit of the Barclays group.
Newcastle's chief executive, Colin Seccombe, said: “We welcome Jonathan to the team at Newcastle and are confident that he will deliver the sound financial footing and risk management to support the controlled growth of the Society.
“Jonathan has extensive experience within this sector and his Northern roots mean that he is keen to work for a local building society which strives to support the communities it serves.”
Westhoff said: “Having thoroughly enjoyed my last seven years working as part of a flexible and dynamic management team at Portman, able to adapt to ever changing market conditions, I wanted to look for an opportunity to work in an environment that generated similar excitement and challenge. I recognised immediately the same drive in the management I talked with at Newcastle and I am very keen to be a part of an exciting future for the Society.
“Moreover, I do have to admit to being somewhat pleasantly surprised by the sheer vitality of the people and the region I encountered when I made my initial trips up to Newcastle. It came across to me as a region with a vision and the determination to continue the huge strides it has made over recent years. This is what really clinched it for me, the opportunity to join a business that so clearly shares the values of the people in its core operating region, which is a great recipe for success.”
