quick vote

Nationwide should give its boardroom challenger a fair run (The Guardian)

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 27 April 2026

James Sherwin-Smith’s candidacy is a test of the building society’s commitment to mutual values By Nils Pratley, Finance EditorMon 27 Apr 2026 19.05 BST Link: https://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2026/apr/27/nationwide-should-give-its-boardroom-challenger-a-fair-run James Sherwin-Smith, who is aiming to become the first customer to be voted onto the board of Nationwide in nearly 25 years, deserves top marks for perseverance. A year […]

Nationwide faces board challenge from member (The Times)

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 27 April 2026

A campaigning customer has secured a board ballot spot for Nationwide for the first time in 21 years By Ben Martin, Banking Editor Link: https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/nationwide-faces-board-challenge-from-member-hgw5t6twz About nine million members of Nationwide will have the opportunity to elect one of their own to the board of the mutual for the first time in 21 years after […]

Nationwide could have first customer on board for nearly 25 years (The Guardian)

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 27 April 2026

James Sherwin-Smith will be up for election after securing more than 250 nominations to run alongside existing directors Kalyeena Makortoff, Banking correspondentMon 27 Apr 2026 07.00 BST Link: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/27/nationwide-first-customer-on-board-nearly-25-years Nationwide building society could have a customer on its board for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century after one of its longtime […]

Public statement

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 27 April 2026

LONDON, 27 APRIL 2026 07:00 – Nationwide Building Society has confirmed that I have receivedthe required valid nominations and will appear on the ballot for election to the Board at the2026 AGM. This creates the opportunity for Nationwide Members to elect a Member Nominated Directorfor the first time in over 20 years, at an important […]

The Quick vote and 2025 Voting form

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 21 April 2026

Nationwide Building Society introduced the “Quick vote” (QV) mechanism in 2006. This was the year after the last Member Nominated Candidate stood for election in 2005. Since that time, there have been no Member Nominated Candidates and no Member Resolutions put forward, so the use of the QV hasn’t been tested in the situation where […]

Election address 2026

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 29 March 2026

Alongside delivering the required nominations, and a £500 deposit, candidates for election to the board have the opportunity to include an election address of up to 500 words. This is as per Rule 31 of Nationwide’s Memorandum and Rules and Section 61 of the Building Societies Act (1986), as amended. Below the line is the […]

Nationwide’s poor voter turnout shows the feeling isn’t mutual (The Times)

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 23 March 2026

The UK’s largest building society has a 4% response at its AGM, raising questions about engagement with its 16.4m members

Executive Pay at Nationwide: When a Member Vote Isn’t Really a Vote

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 9 March 2026

Why the building society’s remuneration vote is advisory, dominated by the Quick Vote, and supported by just 4% of members. At last year’s AGM, the increased package for the CEO of up to £7m was branded by one member as an “obscenity”, as reported at the time in The Guardian. Private Eye noticed at the […]

Anger as Nationwide refuses members a binding vote on boss’s 43% pay hike (The Guardian)

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 7 July 2025

Kalyeena Makortoff, writing in The Guardian today, has highlighted Nationwide’s blatant double standard when it comes to executive pay. Nationwide is arguing that its executives should be paid in a comparable way to executives at large UK banks, but as Nationwide is a building society, members should not be granted a binding vote on the […]

Nationwide AGM 2025: the illusion of governance and the futility of membership

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 22 June 2025

With 17 million Nationwide building society members, the majority of whom are presumed to be eligible to vote (i.e. more than some sovereign countries), the “modern” mutual’s 2025 AGM should be a leading example of democracy and corporate governance in action. Instead the largest building society in the world exhibits contempt for its members by […]

My Election Address and the Quick Vote

By James Sherwin-SmithPosted on 31 March 2025

[Updated 29 March 2026] I have the opportunity to include an Election Address of no more than 500 words in support of my candidacy under Rule 22 of Nationwide’s memorandum and rules (see: Process to nominate and elect a Director of Nationwide). The Society Secretary has therefore asked me to deliver this to him at […]