Newport-based Monmouthshire Building Society, one of Wales’ largest and most successful financial institutions, has strengthened its board with the appointment of a new non-executive director.

Tony Morgan, who will join the board of directors today, October 1, 2013, retired from his positions at Pricewaterhouse Coopers as senior partner in Wales and deputy chairman of the Wales and West region.

Born and raised in Barry, Tony studied at Cardiff University where he gained a first class B.Sc Honours in Chemistry. Upon leaving university, he trained as a chartered accountant with Coopers and Lybrand in Cardiff (now Pricewaterhouse Coopers), ultimately gaining an FCA qualification.

He spent nearly 33 years with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, including 22 years as a partner of the firm. As part of his career, he was based in Cardiff, London and Sydney (Australia), where he carried out wide range of accountancy, audit investigation and governance assignments for PwC clients in the UK and overseas.

Subsequent to his retirement he has undertaken roles at the University of South Wales as governor, chair of the finance and resources committee and member of the remuneration committee, at the Welsh Assembly Commission as independent adviser and chairman of the remuneration committee, and also Geldards Law Firm as chairman of the audit committee and as an independent adviser.

Tony now lives in Dinas Powys, is married with three children and enjoys playing tennis for South Wales Veterans (captaining the Welsh Veterans in the 2012 Home Internationals), singing as part of the Bethesda Community Choir, reading, walking and learning welsh.

Monmouthshire Building Society chairman, Robert Williams, said: “We are delighted to appoint Tony to the board of directors. His extensive financial experience, gained from his longstanding and successful accountancy career, will be a formidable asset to the society and we believe will compliment the skills of the existing board members.

“The society continues to flourish in a difficult and challenging market place. As new regulation continues to be unveiled and competition for business intensifies, it is vital that the society recruits the best available talent to our non-executive and executive director positions. Tony’s appointment will greatly contribute towards strengthening the society’s strategic position to allow it to confront these challenges with proficiency and prudency.”

Mr Morgan said: “I am delighted to join the board of Monmouthshire Building Society. As it enters its 145th year of business, it remains a pivotal contributor to the Welsh financial sector, buoyed by its longstanding reputation for offering strength and security. I am proud to become part of the society’s ongoing legacy and I look forward to applying my experience towards making a valuable contribution to its continuing success and growth.”

The mutual society recently announced another excellent set of annual results, in which its assets grew to a record £885m, up from £819m the previous year. In the 12 months to April 30, 2013, it experienced 8.1 per cent growth, while profit after tax reached £3.1m, as customers continued to respond to the society’s secure track record, quality of service and competitive product range.