John McGuigan, with over 25 years of executive experience, steps in as the financial mutual’s new chair.

Mr McGuigan, previously group customer director at Phoenix, brings a wealth of expertise from his tenure at Telefonica and NHS 24, where he was managing director and chief executive respectively.

Additionally, he currently holds the position of chair of Scottish Financial Enterprise, as well as being appointed chair of Scottish Rugby Ltd last year and chair of Faculty at Merryck&Co earlier this year.

Mr McGuigan takes over from David Huntley, who has given more than a decade of service to Scottish Friendly as a board member since 2013 – holding the position of chair for the past four years.

Scottish Friendly has also appointed Mai Fenton and Olive Gaughan as non-executive directors. Ms Fenton and Ms Gaughan bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, at a c-suite executive level, across the investment and insurance sectors.

Ms Fenton brings direct to customer marketing, digital and e-commerce expertise and currently serves on the board of Henderson International Income Trust plc and is director of How And When, a company set up to provide advisory and fractional chief marketing officer (CMO) services to start ups and small businesses.

Prior to this, Ms Fenton was CMO at Superscript for four years, developing the digital proposition, building the brand, devising data-led scalable marketing strategies, and contributing to two successful funding rounds. She is also a trustee and chair of the nomination, remuneration and HR committee of Dallaglio RugbyWorks, a social inclusion charity supporting vulnerable young people.

Ms Gaughan, a highly experienced actuary, is currently a non-executive director of Canada Life Reinsurance Ireland and a member of the Pensions Council in Ireland, advising the Minister for Social Protection on matters relating to pensions policy. Previously, Ms Gaughan was director & head of actuarial with Mazars, and her earlier career was spent at Prudential and Aviva.

Mr McGuigan, chair at Scottish Friendly, said: “I want to thank David for all his efforts in serving our customers, colleagues, and delegates during his tenure with Scottish Friendly, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

“I look forward to fulfilling role as chair and using my knowledge and experience to help the society continue to grow from strength to strength for our customers. Scottish Friendly has a bright future ahead and I am excited to be part of that.

“Scottish Friendly works hard to lead through the passion and diversity of our people. Our board of directors is made up of diverse individuals who bring passion, experience, guidance and leadership to Scottish Friendly. I am pleased to announce today, that we are adding even more talent.”

He continued: “We are delighted to strengthen the team by welcoming Mai and Olive to the board. The breadth of their financial services experience will be a great addition to our already strong board of non-executive directors.

“We are all focussed on ensuring that we continue to deliver on our purpose of helping our customers and their family achieve financial wellbeing through friendly products and customer care.”

Ms Fenton added: “I’m excited to join Scottish Friendly to support the continued growth of the brand in the market.

“Being part of a leading, customer-centric financial mutual aligns perfectly with my values. Empowering members to achieve greater financial security and prosperity is at the heart of what Scottish Friendly does.”

Ms Gaughan said: “I’m looking forward to joining the Scottish Friendly board and also working closely with the actuarial and investment teams, to help the business continue to drive its ambition of ensuring our customers get the best outcomes to support their financial future.”