Nottingham Building Society names Russ Thornton as chief technology officer

Nottingham Building Society, based in the United Kingdom, has appointed Russ Thornton as its new chief technology officer (CTO). Thornton had been serving as interim adviser to the mutual since March 2025.

He replaces Paul Howley, who joined in 2022 as Nottingham Building Society’s first chief technology and transformation officer. During Howley’s tenure, the organisation introduced new technology initiatives, including partnerships with MQube for the Origo mortgage origination platform and Nova Credit for the Credit Passport cross-border credit solution.

Thornton previously oversaw digital projects at Shawbrook Bank, where he integrated Pegasystems for automated underwriting, implemented Cashflows for business finance payments, and introduced nCino’s cloud-based banking platform to automate loan origination and portfolio management. His earlier roles include serving as CTO for WorldRemit, McKinney Rogers, and Cofunds.

The building society also announced that Aaron Shinwell, a former Santander UK executive, will join as chief lending officer from August 2025.

The appointments come as Nottingham Building Society reported a profit of £11 million for the six months to the end of June 2025. Gross new lending rose by nearly 2% to £535.1 million, while total mortgage assets grew by almost 13% to £4.4 billion.

Sue Hayes, the organisation’s chief executive officer, said: “We’re pleased to report a positive performance for the first half of 2025 as we consolidate the momentum built during a landmark 2024. Last year, we passed the £5bn asset milestone, delivered significant growth and recorded our highest-ever savings levels. Entering this year, our focus has been on building long-term resilience – ensuring the right foundations are in place for a sustainable future.

“Our strategy in 2025 is a deliberate one: to moderate lending growth while we implement new technology, strengthen our core banking systems and evolve our mortgage proposition to better serve customers who don’t fit the traditional mould. This transformation will enable us to grow with greater speed and agility in 2026 and beyond.”

Image source: NBS