James Sherwin-Smith

Hi @marben100 - what's your take on this please, given your thoughts last year on @AskNationwide #AGM? theguardian.com/business/2026/…

@jamesnigraham @AskNationwide This hasn't aged well... Published in The Guardian today theguardian.com/business/2026/…

I have just logged in to cast my vote at the Nationwide AGM which is tomorrow. Upon doing so I was greeted with the option to complete a ‘Quick Vote.’ Do @AskNationwide not want proper scrutiny of their candidates?

"I'm not surprised, I'm just disappointed." @askNationwide has now formally confirmed that it will NOT recommend my candidacy for election to its Board — and will actively deploy its “#QuickVote” mechanism AGAINST the only independent Member Nominated Candidate in this year’s election - and since the Quick Vote was introduced in 2006. This matters because 87% of votes last year were cast using the Quick Vote, which appears prominently at the top of the voting form and effectively encourages #Members to endorse the Board’s preferred slate wholesale. The result is a significant structural disadvantage for any genuinely independent candidate seeking to represent Members. It risks establishing a dangerous precedent for #democratic #governance in any #MemberOwned or #mutual organisation. From 8 June, ballot papers begin landing with 9.1 million eligible Nationwide Members. The campaign now moves from awareness to *action*. If you believe Nationwide #Members should have meaningful democratic choice and independent representation, please: * DO NOT use Quick Vote * ⁠Vote deliberately and individually based on the candidate information provided * ⁠Help spread awareness before voting closes on 15th July The issue has already attracted coverage in @thetimes and @CityAM, both highlighting concerns about the fairness of the election process. Full update and supporter briefing here: james4nationwide.co.uk/nationwide-boa… #Nationwide #Mutuals #CorporateGovernance #BuildingSocieties #MemberVoice #FinancialServices #quickvote #AGM #Ballot

Today’s coverage in The Times highlights a simple but important issue at the heart of this year’s @askNationwide Building Society board election: #transparency and fair #memberengagement. I’m proud to have become the first Member Nominated Candidate to reach the ballot at #Nationwide in over 20 years. But key decisions about the conduct of the #election — including whether the board will recommend my candidacy and how the vote itself will operate — have been unresolved for some time. For a #mutual organisation owned by its #members, #openness and proper scrutiny matter. This election is bigger than one candidate. It raises important questions about #governance, #accountability and the role members should play in the future of #mutuals. Thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign so far. More info here: James4Nationwide.co.uk/elect-james #Nationwide #Mutuals #CorporateGovernance #BuildingSocieties #MemberVoice #FinancialServices

A good mutual should welcome scrutiny. @CityAM’s @samnormanwrites has written a thoughtful column on my campaign to bring greater #transparency, #accountability and #member #democracy to @AskNationwide Building Society’s boardroom. The piece covers some of the key issues at stake ahead of this year’s #AGM: - the governance questions surrounding the Virgin Money acquisition, - the lack of a physical AGM for members, - the use of the “Quick Vote” mechanism, - and the broader question of how democratic a mutual organisation should really be. As I said on City AM’s #BusinessAsUsual #podcast this week, I have issue when mutuals present their remuneration report without a binding vote i.e. “pay us like bankers but don’t hold us accountable like bankers”. If members are the owners, then meaningful scrutiny and engagement matter. Listen to the podcast here: youtu.be/DLcJlfI0A2k?si… With AGM voting approaching, I remain focused on ensuring Nationwide’s 16 million members are properly heard in the governance of the society they own. #Nationwide #Mutuals #CorporateGovernance #BuildingSocieties #Banking #Democracy #AGM #VirginMoney #Governance #MemberOwned Read the article here: cityam.com/an-inspector-c…

My thanks to @samnormanwrites and the @CityAM team for the coverage on their #BusinessAsUsual podcast today. We talk about the need for greater #transparency into the @VirginMoney integration, the #FairerShare payments announced last week, and the terms on which I am seeking #election to board of @AskNationwide Building Society which are still yet to be decided / communicated ahead of the 2026 #VirtualOnlyAGM. You can listen to via YouTube below (starts 3m32s) or podcast platforms: Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/23iKLF… Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the… Youtube: youtu.be/DLcJlfI0A2k?si… #Nationwide #membership #mutual #MemberOwned #democracy #voting

As anticipated, @AskNationwide has released this morning an announcement about the #FairerShare and their 2026 preliminary results. (The Notice of #AGM is yet to be published, and I await the Board's decisions on my candidacy and the ballot design.) * Member financial #benefit is down £1B year on year as Nationwide's pricing advantage versus the wider market narrows * #Integration costs have risen materially, and Virgin Money customer migrations are yet to begin from an IT / systems perspective. * Group profits are up, the CET1 ratio is maintained, and customer service standards remain high (the #ExecutivePay report isn't yet public) * VM performance is not broken out, and Clydesdale Bank plc statutory accounts are yet to be filed with Companies House. My post on the 2026 prelim results: james4nationwide.co.uk/statement-re-n… And primarily information (and SEO) reasons, my new post on the Fairer Share: james4nationwide.co.uk/nationwide-202…

I enjoyed talking to Jeremy McKeown on his #podcast “In The Company Of Mavericks” (@in_mavericks) out today. We covered - what it takes to get on the ballot of a #BuildingSociety as a member nominated candidate for director - what motivated me to give up a huge amount of my time to get this far - why #mutual societies matter - what might happen next You can listen to the pod on Spotify, Apple etc. or online via this link: player.captivate.fm/episode/74a393… If you’re interested in the stories behind the headlines in #FinancialServices and personal #investing topics, do check out Jeremy’s Substack “#Hypernormal Times”: jeremymckeown.substack.com

A decade after @theresa_may promised to reform corporate Britain and strengthen stakeholder #representation, the question remains: ➡️ Who really holds large institutions accountable? Today, @kalyeena Makortoff writing in @guardian examines the upcoming @AskNationwide Board election and the wider debate around #governance, member #democracy and #accountability within mutual organisations. theguardian.com/business/2026/… The piece covers: • the barriers faced by potential Member Nominated Candidates • the total absence of Member Nominated Directors across all 42 UK #BuildingSocieties • concerns around "#QuickVote" mechanisms • whether #mutual ownership still translates into meaningful Member influence Thank you to everyone who has supported my efforts thus far. Thank you also to Andrew Johnston, @uniofwarwick and Monica Franco-Santos, @cranfieldmngmt for their input to the article. @gareththomasMP (chair of APPG Mutuals) and Sarah Harrison (CEO of @BSABuildingSocs) - I have written to you both previously and would be delighted to discuss my candidacy and governance concerns with you directly, as well as understand your perspectives better.

My thanks to @PatrickTooher for including my question re @AskNationwide’s #FairerShare policy in today’s @DailyMail on Sunday: thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/… “James Sherwin-Smith, who hopes to become Nationwide's first director representing members in over two decades, questioned why only a minority of them received payouts. 'Is there a better use or more equitable distribution of members' capital?' He asked. It’s interesting to note that: 1) following the acquisition of @VirginMoney, #Nationwide paid a one-off Big Thank You of £50 to ~12million (ie 3/4 of Members). But for the last 3 years, it has decided to share profits with 1/4 of Members instead. 2) in 2007, Members were asked to vote on whether to donate >1% of profits to #charity each year. No vote was offered re the Fairer Share. 3) less than 700k Members voted at the last #AGM. My most recent post on this topic: james4nationwide.co.uk/will-nationwid…

Next Thursday, @askNationwide will announce its annual results. Most of the column inches and clickbait headlines will likely go on the #FairerShare: in previous years £100 was paid to a minority of Members, based on T&Cs announced retrospectively. Barring a "non-FTSE whoopsie" (h/t @CityAM) I'd wager there will be less reporting asking why or whether these payments should be made, or how profits could be used differently, or even shared more fairly. #Nationwide #BuildingSociety's actual performance, the directors' remuneration report and other #governance topics that members will be invited to #vote on next month, will likely be a footnote in most of those articles celebrating "money for nothing" (it's a redistribution of #member #equity after all), rather than offering any real scrutiny. This will also be the last year Clydesdale Bank plc t/a @VirginMoney will file substantial statutory accounts given the legal transfer affected last month. For anyone interested in the Fairer Share, I've pre-emptively published this: james4nationwide.co.uk/will-nationwid…

With my place on the 2026 ballot for election to the #Nationwide #Board secured, the Board is yet to decide *how* my name will appear on the voting form. One decision in particular could have a significant bearing on my election success - whether the '#QuickVote' is used, or not. It was one of the #governance issues in the building society sector highlighted by @NavPMishra MP in his letter to the Chancellor, Rt Hon @RachelReevesMP , sent two weeks ago and published yesterday. I have asked @AskNationwide to suspend the 'Quick vote' in the interests of fairness: no competitive election has been held since it was introduced by the Society 20 years ago. Looking across to other organisations where it has been used in competitive elections, it has proven controversial (cf @nationaltrust) - one former supreme court judge, Lord Sumption , referred to its use as a "North Korean approach" to democracy. As I write in this blog, published on my website today, I am not a lawyer - but it is clear that appeal courts in England and Australia have warned directors about proxy solicitation that seeks to influence the outcomes of elections, particularly when it comes to an "election in favour of themselves or their colleagues" (The @HonMichaelKirby). james4nationwide.co.uk/the-legality-o…

I am grateful to @NavPMishra MP for writing to both the Rt Hon @RachelReevesMP (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Kevin Parry OBE (the @AskNationwide Building Society chairman), regarding emerging "#governance issues with the #buildingsociety sector", with @gareththomasMP copied, as chair of the APPG for mutuals: appgmutuals.coop) These are important issues, being raised at an important time. The inconsistencies with the comparisons drawn need to be explained, if not addressed directly, in my view.

Most @askNationwide Members don’t use their vote each year ahead of the annual general meeting. Attending the #AGM and #voting are the major ways that Members can influence the organisation. #Nationwide is a member-owned institution, and Members determine who sits on its #Board. The Board assesses priorities, scrutinises performance, challenges management and represents members’ interests. That’s why this campaign matters. I want Members to have more #choice on the ballot, and so drive greater #accountability. This will drive more #engagement in the Society’s affairs - to help and increase Member #representation. james4nationwide.co.uk/why-this-elect…

Will @AskNationwide make “Fairer Share” payments in 2026? In this article, I look at the history over the last few years, the rationale and the potential impact - as well as past precedents on the timing and amount of these optional #payments. james4nationwide.co.uk/will-nationwid…

My thanks to @NilsPratley writing in @guardian for summarising the key decisions that the Board of @AskNationwide will make before voting forms are distributed to 9.1 million members next month. Read more here: theguardian.com/business/nils-… #mutual #membership #democracy

.@AskNationwide has confirmed that I have received the required valid nominations and will appear on the ballot for #election to the #Board of Directors at the 2026 AGM. This creates the opportunity for Nationwide Members to choose to elect a Member Nominated Director for the first time in over 20 years, at an important point in the Society’s history as it continues the integration of Virgin Money. The Board will now decide whether to recommend my candidacy to Members in the Notice of #AGM, and how the voting process will operate in what could become a competitive election. This includes the use of the #QuickVote mechanism, which enables Members to vote as per the Board’s recommendations by ticking a single box. While this is largely procedural in uncontested elections, its role is more significant where Members are being asked to make an active choice between candidates. Clarity on these points ahead of the ballot distribution will ensure Members can participate with confidence. With a choice for Members secured, my focus remains on ensuring Members have a clear and fair opportunity to make an informed decision about who represents them on the Board. Many mutual organisations have evolved to include at least one #MemberNominatedDirector as part of their #governance, reflecting the importance of Member #representation. Nationwide has over 16 million Members, and I hope those eligible to vote will take the opportunity to engage in the upcoming election. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my supporters for their interest and action in the society’s affairs. For more info, please visit: james4nationwide.co.uk/a-new-choice/ or read the press coverage pasted in this thread below. @JSS4NW #James4Nationwide

Starting my final week of seeking nominations this year with this OpEd in The Times. If you’re an eligible #Nationwide member, you have until the weekend to send me your #nomination and put choice on the 2026 ballot for the first time in 20 years. 🔗 James4nationwide.co.uk/nominate #BuildingSocieties #Governance #Mutual #Membership #Turnout

@charlyadtweet Yes. I think it’s important for members to have choice when it comes to board elections. The deadline to submit nomination forms is 31st March, and a min. of 250 valid forms from eligible “qualified two year” members is needed: james4nationwide.co.uk/nominate/ #James4NW #Nationwide

@JSS4NW Will you be Standing for Election to Nationwide again in 2026?

Over £1 billion. That’s how much #Nationwide has injected into @VirginMoney since completing its £2.9bn acquisition: thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/… I think there should be greater #member representation at a board level, and a choice of candidates. Learn more: James4NW.com