Home ownership has never been more challenging – but Skipton Building Society is taking a distinctive approach to help people take their next step.
Behind the familiar face of the UK’s fourth-largest building society sits Skipton Group – a powerful network of companies including Connells, the UK’s largest estate agency. Together, they play a role in one in ten housing transactions nationwide. It’s a unique ecosystem that gives Skipton insight across the entire home-buying journey – from saving for a deposit to finding and financing a home.
This makes Skipton more than a mutual. It’s the centre of a connected group, where each business brings its own expertise, data and technology, creating an organisation that truly is more than the sum of its parts.
All building societies share the same founding ethos: putting customers before shareholders and focusing on long-term value for members. But Skipton’s Group structure gives it a genuine competitive edge.
“By connecting the data and experience across our businesses, we can spot patterns and unlock opportunities others can’t see,” explains Dan Akrigg, Director of Technology at Skipton. “That helps us design new ways to make home ownership achievable – and that’s a huge part of our purpose.”
That purpose is brought to life through innovation. Skipton is using technology to rethink product design and risk models – developing solutions like shared ownership, track record, and delayed first start mortgages to open the housing ladder to more people.
At the heart of this innovation is the Group Technology Council (GTC), where the CIOs of each company come together to align strategy and share insights. The GTC isn’t a command centre – it’s a collaborative forum built on a principle of “tell me why not”.
This approach encourages experimentation and shared learning. Each business retains autonomy, because their customers and systems differ, but they’re united by a common purpose: to help people achieve financial well-being through smarter, technology-enabled solutions.
To deepen collaboration, Skipton has created communities of practice – cross-group networks where specialists in areas like data, security and architecture share expertise and solve problems together.
A recent example involved Connells’ refresh of its data centre and platform capabilities. The Building Society had just completed a similar transformation and shared its experience, enabling Connells to move faster and avoid repeating costly mistakes. It’s a clear illustration of how the Group’s joined-up model saves time, resources and ultimately delivers better value for members.
The different scale of each business also adds strength. Connells’ size – around 17,000 colleagues – allows for major technology investments, while smaller subsidiaries such as Skipton International can experiment quickly and pass lessons back to the wider Group.
“If one company can test an idea and another can scale it, everyone benefits,” says Dan, “we shortcut to value faster, we get the lessons learned a little bit quicker, and we’re not spending the money multiple times.”
Despite its 170-year heritage, Skipton is anything but traditional. Its growing engagement with the Yorkshire and Leeds tech communities reflects its belief that mutuals have a role to play in regional innovation.
“Mutuality is about shared purpose, not competition,” Dan explains. “That’s why we work with partners who share our values – organisations driven to build innovative solutions and to share knowledge openly.”
Skipton’s involvement in Leeds Digital and other local initiatives has helped it connect with like-minded businesses while promoting the region’s tech scene. Hosting joint events at its Skipton HQ has raised awareness of the opportunities available in technology and encouraged new people into the industry.
The same spirit runs through Skipton’s approach to talent. The organisation is investing in apprenticeships, women in tech initiatives, and pathways for career changers, helping more people find rewarding roles in technology.
The results are clear: a growing reputation in the market, strong recruitment, and even a “boomerang” trend of colleagues returning after seeing Skipton’s transformation.
“We’re showing that you can build a great tech career here,” says Dan, “and do it for a really good purpose.”
Some still see building societies as old-fashioned, but Skipton’s story tells a different tale. By bringing together a diverse group of businesses, uniting them around a shared social mission, and enabling them through cutting-edge technology, Skipton is redefining what a mutual can be. It’s proof that purpose and innovation aren’t opposites – they’re partners.
As Skipton continues to connect expertise across its Group, invest in data and digital capability, and contribute to the region’s growing tech ecosystem, it’s delivering on its founding aim in a modern way: helping people secure homes, build financial confidence, and thrive.
