Shepherds Friendly has announced the appointment of Michael Williams as its first chief change officer.
In the role Williams will lead key transformation initiatives and ensure they are aligned with the organisation’s business plans, the insurer said.
Shepherds Friendly said the hire reflected its commitment to modernising its future platform and product offering in line with evolving member needs.
Williams joins Shepherds Friendly with more than 15 years of experience in change, helping businesses establish best practice project management frameworks and steering them through complex transformations.
He also has a proven track record in programme and project oversight.
Williams joins from Schroders Personal Wealth, a financial planning start-up backed by Lloyds Banking Group and Schroders, where he worked from 2020. He took on the role of portfolio, programme and project lead not long after the company entered the UK financial services market.
Prior to that, he worked as a senior manager at PwC for nine-and-a-half years, most recently as the north change team leader.
In that role he worked on the delivery of projects across a wide range of industries, with clients ranging from small start-ups that were just beginning to scale to multinational corporations.
Williams said: “I’m extremely excited to join Shepherds Friendly, an organisation of like-minded people with a very attractive workplace culture.
“I look forward to working with teams across the society to determine which initiatives are best aligned with its strategy and provide the best value to members, then delivering on these with integrity.”
Ann-Marie O’Dea, CEO of Shepherds Friendly, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Michael into our team at what is a pivotal time for both our organisation and the mutual sector.
“We anticipate significant growth and change in the near future and Michael’s experience in guiding businesses through similar processes will be invaluable as we move forward.”