Leading the Hanley Economic Building Society for almost 10 years, David Webster was at the helm during the company’s landmark 150 year anniversary.
David, originally from East Kilbride in Scotland, was appointed as Chief Executive at the Stoke-on-Trent based building society in 2002 and has continued to champion the region’s business community and the wider city until leaving in 2016.
“I have absolutely loved my time here,” he said. “I’ve been here for nine years now. It really is an undervalued part of the country.”
David was a member of the former Staffordshire University Business Forum and maintains a good relationship with staff in the Business School.
He said: “I’m particularly interested in the connection between academia and business; we need to make the most of universities because they are invaluable to business.
“I was appointed as a member of the Staffordshire University Business Forum in 2003 because they were looking for participants in the private sector and in the business community. the people I worked with on the forum were very engaging, open to fresh thinking and building links with businesses. I was very impressed.”
Prior to the Hanley, David spent 12 years at financial services company, Bradford and Bingley, rising from Branch Manager to Director. Having graduated with an Economics degree from the University of the West of Scotland in 1981, working in business has always appealed.
He said: “I always felt that I wanted to be in business. So when I entered into financial services it felt like home.”
In 2016, David became Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Macmillan Hospice.
The Award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon David for his contribution to the Staffordshire business economy, for his successful leadership of the Hanley Building Society, and for supporting the Business School.