At Cornish Mutual, our Board of Directors is diverse, with an enviable track record in business, farming and general insurance.
Together, our Board bring a wealth of experience as well as a deep understanding of the South West to the governance of Cornish Mutual.
The roles and responsibilities of our Board can be found in our Board Charter.
As a solicitor, Ian Pawley has lived and worked in Cornwall for all his professional life. He understands the agricultural sector particularly well having dealt with many issues around farming and inheritance tax. Ian, a former managing partner of regional legal firm Stephens Scown, joined the Cornish Mutual Board in 2009 and brought with him an extensive knowledge of modern legal and business requirements including corporate governance. Ian was elected Deputy Chairman in April 2010. He takes an active interest in the rural and agricultural community in the South West. Ian also holds a number of other non-executive director and trustee positions in Cornwall, as well as being involved in local charity work and the St Austell Rotary Club.
With an extensive background in farming, and having won Farmers Weekly Arable Farmer of the year in 2013, Jeremy Oatey is passionate about the farming community. As a Director of Cornwall Farmers Ltd and owner of Agricola Growers Ltd, Jeremy is also a Member of Cornish Mutual for his own farming business. Cornish born and bred, Jeremy had the chance to work away from Cornwall, gaining experience and knowledge to then come back and start his own business.
Sue Turner is Chief Executive of Quartet Community Foundation – one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the UK.
A Law graduate from Bristol University, earlier in her career Sue was South West Director for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has also been Director of a charity which worked with businesses to encourage young people to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects, and inspire them to follow careers in business and industry. Prior to joining Quartet, Sue was Director of Communications for The Bristol Port Company, the UK’s most centrally located deep sea port.
Sue lives in North Somerset and is married with two children.
Based in Mid-Cornwall Charles is an experienced insurance and investment professional. Previous roles include Head of Insurance at Insight Investment where he specialised in Solvency II and the management of investments on behalf of Insurers. Charles also led strategy and business management teams for Lloyds Banking Group insurance entities, National Australia Bank and Aviva Plc. He began his career in 1995 with Commercial Union where he held various roles in the general insurance and corporate partnership teams. Charles graduated from the University of Durham with a BA Honours in Philosophy and is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Paul Davies has a strong background in financial services and brings his excellent experience in pensions and general insurance skills to Cornish Mutual. In addition to his role with Cornish Mutual, Paul is also a non-executive director and Council Member at the University of Gloucestershire and is a pension fund trustee with Sun Life Financial of Canada. Based in Gloucester and a graduate of the University of Southampton, Paul has experience as a Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Marketing and Business Development Director delivering major growth projects, acquisition, and change management success. Paul has a wealth of knowledge he can share with the businesses and the Members we work for.
Peter Beaumont has a wealth of experience in the IT and financial services industries including insurance and banking. Peter took up the role of Finance Director with Cornish Mutual in January 2009, having relocated with his family to Cornwall. He joined the company from corporate finance specialists Close Asset Finance Ltd where he was Group Financial Controller. Peter has held various director level appointments covering both finance and operations. Having trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant within public practice, Peter has spent his career within commerce. With a track record of introducing change, he is committed to further developing and delivering a first-class service to all Cornish Mutual Members.
Roger spent 42 years working in Financial Services, the last 17 of which were as a Chief Executive in private medical insurance. He has held both Executive and Non-Executive posts on the Boards of several Friendly Societies, in addition to previous experience as Chairman of the Finance Committees of a major national housing association and a Hospiscare charity. He is currently a Non-Executive Director at Civil Service Healthcare Society Ltd, where he is also Chairman of the Performance and Investment Committee.
Richard Lane is a Chartered Insurer and Chartered Manager with a depth and breadth of expertise in general insurance, having previously worked for the Royal Insurance Group, Zurich, LV and latterly, the Ecclesiastical Group.
Based in Dorset, Richard has experience of change management and recognises the importance of people to achieving business results, utilising skills which were honed at senior level in the Territorial Army.
With extensive experience in financial services, Paul began his career in 1992 working with Guardian Insurance. He spent many years in the London Insurance Market and worked for Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining Cornish Mutual back in 2011. He became a Member of the Board, taking up the role of Insurance Director in May 2018.
A Chartered Insurer and Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, Paul is passionate about the rural community in the South West. He spent his childhood growing up in South Devon and now lives on the South Cornwall coast in Falmouth.
