Westcountry Savings and Loans Appoints its New Chief Executive Officer

Friday 16 May 2025

Westcountry Savings and Loans (WS&L) has appointed Steve Thorrington as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Steve took the reins at WS&L on March 1, 2025, replacing Jackie Simpson, who stepped down from the role in the same month.

He brings with him more than three decades of experience, acquired across the financial services sector.

Steve’s focus will be on growing WS&L’s membership, loan book and deposit accounts, to ensure that as many households as possible are able to benefit from the credit union’s ethical financial services.

WS&L has expanded steadily over the decades to become the largest credit union in the South-West. Today, it has almost 3,500 members located across its common bond, which extends from Somerset to Cornwall.

Steve said he was delighted and honoured to be taking up his new role and continuing the excellent work undertaken by Jackie, the rest of the team and the directors over the last 20 years.

“Since arriving at Westcountry Savings and Loans, I’ve been struck by how much affection and goodwill there is towards the credit union, both internally and among our members and our partners,” he said.

He added that these are exciting times for WS&L, with several major projects poised for rollout that will help the credit union to expand and meet rising demand across the region for its offerings.

“These initiatives will enable us to build on the excellent working relationships we have with our partners and develop new financial products that are going to really make a difference for households across the South-West,” he said. “It’s a huge privilege to have arrived at Westcountry at such a critical point in the credit union’s journey. Watch this space!”