My alarm goes off at…
…a rather unpleasant six in the morning.
I spend the first hour of the day preparing the kids’ breakfast and lunches for school, and then making sure they get out of the door on time.
I wanted to work in the mortgage industry because…
…who knows! I won’t pretend it was something I had planned but, when I finally realised that my dream of being a professional footballer was over (not through injury but from being decidedly average at best), I just fell into a profession that seemed interesting and an important part of the overall UK economic landscape.
There’s always something new to learn and understand in this industry
I took a job at Cheltenham & Gloucester, where I started underwriting, which continued throughout my career until I moved into my role as a business development manager (BDM) in 2018. Looking back, this underwriting experience was a vital part of my success in subsequent BDM roles, for which I am hugely grateful.
Something that surprised me about the job…
…was how varied the role was, and continues to be, and how involved I could stay across the life of any given deal.
The old saying that every day is a school day is absolutely right. No two deals we look at are the same, so there’s always something new to learn and understand in this industry.
A misconception about my role is…
…that BDMs spend their day having lunch or playing golf with brokers! I spend my days getting stuck in to deals to help shape them; talking to the legal team to ensure completions are on track; picking up with the underwriting team constantly; and talking to our brokers to manage expectations and help deliver for their clients.
I continue to learn from great people — internally and externally — which is a big part of why I love this business
There are long days where I can still be putting together credit papers late into the evening, but this is part of the role that I really enjoy. As a BDM with Shawbrook, we can get involved with deals and liaise internally and externally, and there’s never a dull moment.
My typical day entails…
…logging on from around 7am to check any important emails that may have come in. Then, as soon as the kids are packed off for school, it’s back to the laptop again with a tea on the desk.
After this start the day will vary but I could be off into London to meet with our broker partners to discuss current deals, new deals, criteria and the market in general. Other days it will be working with the underwriting team and the larger-loans team to ensure that deals are progressing in the right way, or meeting with clients on site to discuss how we can work together to support them on their property journey.
That early underwriting experience was a vital part of my success in subsequent BDM roles, for which I am hugely grateful
Also, as part of the national relationship manager role, I spend time looking at the London region as a whole and ensuring that, as a team, we have the right strategy in place to provide the service our brokers and customers deserve.
A perk of the job is…
…working with great people, both internally and externally. I continue to learn from both, which is a fundamental part of why I love this business.
My favourite work memory…
…is at the end of my first year as a BDM — not only hitting my target but exceeding it by 20%.
Having made the jump from underwriting team leader to BDM, I was a little nervous, so to end the year on such a high gave me the confidence to push on. I’ve not looked back.
To unwind after work, I…
…use both my season tickets for the West Ham men’s and women’s football teams.
It was a profession that seemed interesting and an important part of the overall UK economic landscape
My weekends are spent watching the men’s team with my son on Saturday and watching the women’s team with my daughter on Sunday.
It’s great to spend time with them both, doing something we all enjoy.
After that — if I get any spare time — I try to fit in a round of (fairly average) golf.
This article featured in the November 2023 edition of MS.
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