My alarm goes off at…
…it can be as early as 5am if I’m travelling into Saffron, or 6am if I’m on the way to London.
If I’m working from home, however, I’ll usually set it for 7am to allow me enough time to walk the dogs, have breakfast and start my working day at half past eight.
Every day really is so different and that’s what I love most about my role.
I wanted to work in the mortgage industry because…
…the mortgage market — for good and for bad — is fluctuating constantly, meaning every day is different.
I remain as passionate about great customer outcomes as I was on my first day
This creates endless learning opportunities, which is perfect for me as I love to be active and constantly challenged.
It’s quite hard to believe that I’ve now worked in financial services for 36 years, across 12 banks and building societies!
More than 20 years of my career have been dedicated to mortgages and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I don’t have a set structure to follow and instead decide where I need to be and which aspect of activity needs to be prioritised
The time has flown by, and I remain as passionate and excited about producing great customer outcomes as I was on my first day.
Something that surprised me about my job was…
…it’s been absolutely amazing to see the whole team be so dedicated to growing and improving our offering.
People really listen to new ideas and embrace change wholeheartedly at Saffron Building Society.
Something that always remains consistent is the communication with my team
It’s a very exciting chapter for the business, and one that I feel very privileged to be part of.
A misconception about my role is…
…there are definitely misconceptions about the scope of work involved with my position as head of business development.
I look forward to hearing from the team as I’m driving back from a roadshow or meeting with partners
Ensuring brokers have all they want and need goes far beyond my direct relationships with broker and distribution partners, and actually a large proportion of my time is spent speaking to internal stakeholders.
I’m part of the eyes and ears of the society, so it’s really important I relay my experience in the market to ensure the business remains relevant and impactful.
My typical day entails…
…my days vary drastically depending on the needs of the business and our partners, but something that always remains consistent is the communication with my team.
We’re all pretty independent during the day but always like to catch up in the late afternoon to share the headline developments.
A large proportion of my time is spent speaking to internal stakeholders
I look forward to hearing from the team as I’m driving back from a roadshow or meeting with partners.
A perk of the job is…
…the flexibility. I don’t have a set structure to follow and instead decide where I need to be and which aspect of activity needs to be prioritised, which is fantastic.
I’m part of the eyes and ears of the society, so it’s really important I relay my experience in the market
This allows me to be highly reactive and adaptive to the needs of the market, which, as we know, can move pretty quickly!
To unwind after work, I…
…like to play board games with my wife. Boggle is our current favourite!
Every day is different, which creates endless learning opportunities
It’s something we started doing during lockdown but have since kept up as it’s a great way to switch off after lots of screentime during the day.
We also love the outdoors and walking the dogs. I’d consider myself a keen cyclist too, but less so as the colder weather starts to set in.
This article featured in the October 2023 edition of MS.
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