Meet the team

Fiona Clutterbuck

Fiona was appointed as a non-executive director in 2012 and became Chairman on 10 May 2018.

She has many years of financial experience at leading UK and international banks, specialising in financial institutions. During her career, Fiona has held the positions of Managing Director and Head of Financial Institutions Advisory at ABN AMRO Investment Bank, Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Financial Institutions Group at HSBC Investment Bank and was a Director at Hill Samuel Bank Limited.

Fiona is currently Senior Independent Director of M&G plc and an independent non-executive director of Sampo plc. She also sits on the Sampo plc Audit Committee. Fiona is the Chairman of Paragon’s Nomination Committee and a member of the Remuneration and Risk & Compliance Committees.

Nigel Terrington

Nigel is Chief Executive of Paragon Banking Group and one of the longest serving Chief Executives in the FTSE 350.

Nigel’s early career began in investment banking, which included working for UBS. He joined Paragon in 1987 as Treasurer, before being appointed as Finance Director in 1992 and then Chief Executive in 1995.

He is a member of the Board of UK Finance and is the Chairman of UK Finance’s Specialist Banks Advisory Committee. Previously he was the Chairman of the Council of Mortgage Lenders ('CML'), Chairman of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (‘IMLA’), Chairman of the Finance and Leasing Association ('FLA') Consumer Finance Division and a Board member of the FLA.

Nigel is also currently a member of HM Treasury’s Home Finance Forum and the Bank of England’s Residential Property Forum.

He is also an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. In 2017, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University for services to the finance industry.

Richard Woodman

Richard was appointed to the Board as Director of Corporate Development in 2012 and became the Chief Financial Officer in June 2014.

He joined Paragon in 1989 and has held various senior strategic and financial roles, including Director of Business Analysis and Planning and Managing Director of Idem Capital. Richard has taken a lead role in Paragon’s strategic development and, in particular, in the loan portfolio acquisition programme through Idem Capital.

He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Barbara Ridpath

Barbara Ridpath was appointed as a non-executive director in 2017.

She has worked in finance for most of her career, in New York, London and Paris at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Standard & Poor’s and JPMorgan.

She was instrumental in the development of UK mortgage securitisation in the late 1980s and went on to lead the Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Barbara is currently a non-executive director of ORX in Switzerland, a trade association for non-financial operating risk professionals (including cyber risk), and a director of ORX UK Limited. At the end of 2021 she became an independent non-executive director of Open Banking Limited, ensuring fast, secure payments for consumers and small business.

She is also Chair of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England and member of the International Advisory Council of the Institute of Business Ethics.

She is a member of the Audit, Nomination and Risk & Compliance Committees.

Hugo Tudor

Hugo was appointed as a non-executive director in 2014. He spent 26 years in the fund management industry, originally with Schroders and most recently with BlackRock, covering a wide range of UK equities.

He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Accountant and brings an investor perspective to the Board. Hugo is a Director of Damus Capital Limited, Porthcothan Property Limited and Vitec Global Limited.

He is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit, Nomination and Risk & Compliance Committees.

Finlay Williamson

Finlay was appointed as a non-executive director of Paragon Banking Group PLC in September 2017 having been on the Board of Paragon Bank PLC since November 2014. Finlay Williamson was Finance Director of Virgin Money between 2009 and 2014, where he was responsible for supporting the design and delivery of the company’s growth strategy, including the assessment of potential markets, the development of key propositions and the pursuit of non-organic opportunities.

Prior to joining Virgin Money, Finlay had a long career at Royal Bank of Scotland where he held a number of senior finance roles, latterly as Finance Director for the Bank’s Manufacturing and Retail Direct divisions. Finlay is a Chartered Accountant.

He is the Chairman of the Risk & Compliance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.

Graeme Yorston

Graeme was appointed a non-executive director in September 2017. Prior to this he was Group Chief Executive of Principality Building Society, the 6th largest mutual in the UK.

He has over 48 years’ experience in financial services having carried out a number of senior roles in Abbey National, including IT Director for the Retail Bank, Regional Director and running a number of significant change programmes.

He also led the call centre operations. Graeme has served on the CBI Council for Wales, the Board of Business in the Community in Wales and was HRH, Prince Charles, Ambassador for BITC in Wales for two years. He was awarded Director of the Year in Wales by the Institute of Directors in 2016.

Graeme is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Banking, holds an MBA from Warwick Business School and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2017.

He is a member of the Nomination, Remuneration and Risk & Compliance Committees.

Alison Morris

Alison Morris was appointed as a non-executive director in March 2020.

Alison is a qualified accountant, retiring as a partner in PwC's Financial Services Audit practice in 2019. She joined PwC in 1982 and spent her entire career with the organisation in a range of internal and external audit roles across the Asset and Wealth Management practice and Banking and Capital Markets business unit.

She has led audit projects for a range of banking clients, as well as companies across the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250, and has held a number of leadership roles within PwC including sitting on the Executive Management team which led the Audit practice.

Alison is also a non-executive director of M&G Group Limited, part of the M&G plc group, and Sabre Insurance Group.

She is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Remuneration and Risk & Compliance Committees.

Peter Hill

Peter was appointed as a non-executive director of Paragon Banking Group PLC in October 2020.

His career in financial services has spanned over 40 years, including eight years as CEO of Leeds Building Society between 2011 and 2019, where he previously held the role of Operations Director. He was also non-executive director and Chairman of the Risk Committee at Pure Retirement Limited.

Peter is currently Chairman of Mortgage Brain. He is also a Trustee of Leeds Rhinos Foundation, where he chairs the Finance & Governance Committee. Peter chaired the Council of Mortgage Lenders for three years and was a member of the Board of UK Finance.

He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Banking.

Peter is Chair of the Risk and Compliance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.