Frequently Asked Questions — James Sherwin-Smith & the Nationwide Board Election 2026
This page answers common questions about James Sherwin-Smith’s candidacy for election to the Board of Nationwide Building Society and the 2026 AGM voting process.
Contents
About James Sherwin-Smith
- Who is James Sherwin-Smith?
- Why is James standing for election?
- What are James’ qualifications?
- Is James recommended by the Board?
About the Nationwide Board Election 2026
- When is the 2026 AGM?
- When do voting forms arrive?
- Who is eligible to vote?
- How many candidates are standing?
- Has Nationwide ever had a Member Nominated Director?
- Can Virgin Money customers vote?
About the Quick Vote System
- What is the Quick Vote?
- Does the Quick Vote mean For or Against James?
- How many Members use the Quick Vote?
- Is the Quick Vote fair to independent candidates?
- Should I Quick Vote?
How to Vote for James Sherwin-Smith
About Nationwide Building Society
- What is Nationwide Building Society?
- How is a mutual different from a bank?
- What is the Fairer Share payment?
Media Coverage
- Has the campaign received media coverage?
- Where can I read more about the campaign?
- Information for journalists and media enquiries
Supporting the Campaign
About James Sherwin-Smith
Who is James Sherwin-Smith?
James Sherwin-Smith is a Nationwide Building Society member standing for election to the Board of Directors as a Member Nominated Candidate.
If elected, he would serve as an independent Member-elected director on the Board.
Learn more about the history of Member Nominated Candidates and Directors and female Directors at Nationwide.
Why is James Sherwin-Smith standing for election to the Nationwide board?
James is standing because he believes Member representation is an important part of mutual governance and should be reflected at Board level.
He is seeking to offer an additional Member-nominated perspective within the Board’s decision-making structure.
He’s not alone e.g. see Navendu Mishra MP’s letter to the Chancellor raising this very concern, amongst others.
What are James Sherwin-Smith’s qualifications?
James has a background in financial services and technology. He has been a Nationwide member and has spent considerable time researching the governance of mutual organisations and building societies, including co-authoring a joint report for the European Association of Co-operative Banks & consultancy Oliver Wyman, titled Co-operative Bank: Customer Champion.
Read his biography here: About James Sherwin-Smith and his full CV here.
Is James Sherwin-Smith recommended by the Nationwide Board?
No. The Board has not recommended James Sherwin-Smith for election.
As with all Member Nominated Candidate elections, Members decide whether to support his candidacy through their vote.
More reading:
- Nationwide picks “unfair fight” with Member board candidate (Press Release)
- Rebel customer faces ‘unfair fight’ for seat on Nationwide board (The Times)
- Nationwide accused of picking ‘unfair fight’ with member board candidate (CityAM)
- My counter to Nationwide’s statements made today regarding my suitability
- Nationwide customer seeking election to board hits out at lender for ‘unfair’ treatment (The Guardian)
About the Nationwide Board Election 2026
When is the Nationwide AGM 2026?
The Nationwide AGM will take place online on 15 July 2026.
Voting closes on 13 July 2026, unless Members attend the AGM and vote during the meeting.
When do Nationwide voting forms arrive?
Voting materials are expected to be issued from 8 June 2026 onwards, either digitally or by post depending on Member preferences.
See How to Vote in the Nationwide AGM 2026
If you don’t have a Voting form, you can request security codes to be emailed to you. See
Who is eligible to vote in the Nationwide board election?
Eligible Nationwide Members (account holders meeting the qualifying criteria at the record date) can vote in the 2026 AGM.
Nationwide has indicated that approximately 9.1 million Members are eligible to vote in 2026.
See How to Vote in the Nationwide AGM 2026
How many candidates are standing for election to the Nationwide board in 2026?
The final list of candidates is confirmed in the official AGM notice.
In 2026, both Board-nominated candidates and a Member Nominated Candidate are expected to be on the ballot.
For more information see Recent board changes at Nationwide (2026) and Will Ballot Design Matter in Nationwide’s 2026 Board Election?
Has Nationwide ever had a Member Nominated Director?
Yes. Nationwide has previously had Member Nominated Directors, although the most recent period of such representation ended over 20 years ago.
Member Nominated Directors are also common in other mutual organisations and governance structures.
There was a period in the 1990s when Nationwide had three Member Nominated Director on the Board. See Rebels with a cause: standing on the shoulders of giants.
I joined Nationwide from Virgin Money – can I vote at the 2026 AGM?
Only Members who meet Nationwide’s voting eligibility criteria at the record date can vote in the 2026 AGM.
Some customers who joined via the Virgin Money transfer may become eligible in future AGM cycles depending on account status and timing.
The AGM eligibility conditions are given at the top of this guide we have written in advance of voting forms arriving, which we expect could be a soon as Monday 8th June.
About the “Quick vote” system
What is Nationwide’s “Quick vote”?
The Quick Vote is a simplified voting option that allows Members to submit a single overall vote based on default recommendations, rather than selecting individual choices.
It is presented at the top of the voting form for “convenience”. Its use is highly controversial.
See The Quick vote and 2025 Voting form
Does the Quick Vote mean For or Against James Sherwin-Smith?
The Board has decided that any Member using the Quick Vote will results in a vote Against James Sherwin-Smith, and For the current Board members who have already been appointed. Because James has not been recommended by the Board, members who use Quick Vote will automatically vote against his candidacy — potentially without realising this is the effect of their choice.
See Nationwide ‘weaponising’ voting system, says board challenger (The Times) and this post regarding unauthorised edits by the Society to James’ Election Address, while denying James the ability to make his own in light of the Board’s decisions to keep the Quick vote and use it against him.
How many Nationwide members used Quick Vote in the last election?
Nationwide has disclosed that 87% of votes cast in the previous year’s election were made using the Quick Vote option. This means the vast majority of voting members are casting votes based entirely on the board’s recommendations rather than making individual choices.
Is the Quick Vote system fair to independent candidates?
This is disputed. James Sherwin-Smith and several media commentators have argued that the Quick Vote system creates a structural disadvantage for any candidate not recommended by the board. The Times, The Guardian and City AM have all published articles describing the situation as an “unfair fight.” James has called on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to review the fairness of the election process. Nationwide maintains that the Quick Vote system is a legitimate convenience mechanism for members.
Lord Sumption, a former Supreme Court justice, has previously referred to the use of the Quick Vote in a member-governed organisation as a “North Korean approach” to democracy.
Should I Quick Vote when voting in the Nationwide 2026 AGM?
If you wish to vote for James Sherwin-Smith as an independent member candidate, DO NOT USE THE QUICK VOTE. Instead, you should cast your vote under the section labelled ‘Standard vote’, checking the For box next to where it says “To elect James Sherwin-Smith”. Using Quick Vote will automatically vote Against him. Under the ‘Standard vote’ you can choose to vote For / Against / Withheld for all other candidates and resolutions.
How to vote for James Sherwin-Smith
How do I vote for James Sherwin-Smith in the Nationwide election?
When your voting form arrives (from 8th June 2026):
- DO NOT USE THE QUICK VOTE option at the top of the form
- Scroll past the ‘Quick vote’ at the top of the page to the ‘Standard vote’ voting section further down the page
- Vote for James Sherwin-Smith manually by checking the For box next to his name
- Consider voting Against other candidates if you wish
- Return or submit your vote before by the 13th July 2026 – 2 days before the AGM on 15th July 2026.
Full voting instructions are available at How to Vote in the Nationwide AGM 2026
Can I vote online or do I need to post my ballot?
Nationwide provides both online and postal voting options. Details will be included with your voting form when it arrives from 8th June 2026.
What if I have already used Quick Vote — can I change my vote?
Contact Nationwide directly to ask whether your vote can be changed before the AGM closes on 15th July 2026. You may have to join the virtual only AGM in order to change your vote.
About Nationwide Building Society
What is Nationwide Building Society?
Nationwide Building Society is a UK mutual financial institution owned by its Members rather than external shareholders.
It is the largest building society in the world and one of the largest financial institutions in the UK.
How is a mutual building society different from a bank?
A mutual organisation is owned by its Members, who are typically account holders.
This structure allows Members to participate in certain governance processes, including voting at AGMs.
What is the Fairer Share payment?
The Fairer Share payment is a discretionary payment made by Nationwide to eligible Members in some years.
In 2026, eligible Members received a £100 payment.
Eligibility is based on Nationwide’s defined criteria at the time of distribution.
Fewer than 25% of Members are due to receive the Fairer Share payment in 2026 (4.4 million of an estimated 19 million), starting from 10th June 2026.
In short, James considers that the Fairer Share payments are problematic for a number of reasons
- they fail on grounds of transparency and fairness
- they reward a minority of Members.
- they were not agreed by the Membership (a vote for a much smaller 1%+ of profits to go to charity was voted for by the Members back in 2007 however)
- they are not tax efficient (yes, the Fairer Share payment is treated like interest income by HMRC)
- they are timed to be paid out just as Members are asked to vote in the upcoming AGM
- people who have had their mortgage and savings accounts with Nationwide for years, and contributed every year to the Society’s profits, get nothing if they don’t have an active current account with Nationwide.
As a marketing tool to drive greater market share of current accounts (where the Society is at a structural disadvantage vs high street banks), the Fairer Share appears effective from the outside: more people are getting a Fairer Share payment this year vs last.
Therefore the Fairer Share could be having an effect on current account growth and driving people to bring more business to Nationwide.
But its not clear how much of that growth is due to other factors (i.e. not due to the Fairer Share), and potentially people are learning to game the system to get the £100 rather than actually moving away from their current provider to Nationwide.
The fact that there is clearly a strong overlap between eligible for the Fairer Share and eligible to vote at the AGM, and the payments are made the same month that many people are receiving their ballots papers is also questionable.
Media coverage
Has James Sherwin-Smith’s campaign received media coverage?
Yes. The campaign has received coverage in multiple national UK publications, including:
Several of these articles used the phrase “unfair fight” to describe the structural disadvantage faced by an independent candidate under Nationwide’s current voting system.
Where can I read more about James Sherwin-Smith’s campaign?
The campaign website is https://james4nationwide.co.uk. It contains James’s full biography, his policy positions, press coverage, and detailed voting instructions.
Do you have more campaign information for journalists, the press, etc?
Yes, please see the Media Centre. Thank you for your interest!
Supporting the campaign
How can I support James Sherwin-Smith’s campaign?
There are several ways you can support the campaign :
- Vote for James individually (DO NOT USE THE QUICK VOTE) when your voting form arrives from 8th June 2026. See How to Vote in the Nationwide AGM 2026.
- Subscribe to email updates from the Campaign and Share these with other Nationwide members — friends, family, and colleagues.
- Follow and share campaign posts on social media (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Bluesky)
- Join the Supporters Facebook page
- Join the Supporters Community on WhatsApp
- Forward Press coverage to fellow Nationwide members
- Contribute to the James4Nationwide Campaign Fund on Crowdfunder
- Write to your MP to see if they share Nav Mishra MP’s concerns re emerging governance issues in the building society sector.
Full details at james4nationwide.co.uk/support
Can I support the campaign, even if I’m not a Nationwide Member?
Yes. Non-Members cannot vote, but they can help by sharing campaign materials with people they know who are Nationwide Members, and by amplifying coverage on social media to raise broader awareness of the issues involved.
Last updated: June 2026 | james4nationwide.co.uk