He will be succeeded by Phillippa Cardno, the mutual’s current operations and sales director.
Gardner has served as Newbury’s chief executive for 15 years and has worked at the mutual for 35 years in total.
He began as a manager of the Newbury branch before being promoted to the executive team in 2001, then chief executive in 2006.
During Gardner’s tenure as chief executive, he has seen the mutual’s assets grow from £564m to £1.4bn and its reserves increase from £29m to £88m over the same period.
Gardner said Newbury Building Society was an “extremely well-capitalised and growing” mutual and said it was in “great shape for the next generation”.
He added: “I have had the honour and the pleasure to lead a hard working talented team at the society and I commend all of them for their individual contributions to the society’s overall success, not least the dedication they show to our local communities.”
He continued that there “has been nothing more rewarding” than reading “consistently positive feedback”, showing that the mutual provided a “high quality service whilst helping members improve their lives”.
“ That is the highest reward for what we do,” he said.
Gardner said: “I have so many happy memories of my time with the society and look forward to seeing it continue to flourish for years to come.”
Peter Brickley, chairman of the mutual, said: “ I thank him on behalf of the board and his executive colleagues for his outstanding contribution in making Newbury Building Society the strong and successful organisation it is today.
“His perspective and foresight have been invaluable as we have led the society through the significant changes in the regulatory landscape, not to mention the challenges of the financial crisis and the pandemic.”
