One to One: Vicki Harris, chief commercial officer, Kensington Mortgages

Can you give us an overview of your career?

I have had a very varied career that started at PwC, where I trained as an accountant before going on to work in mergers and acquisitions at a large multinational corporation.

I moved to McKinsey after a few years to be a management consultant, which helped me gain exposure to a variety of sectors, particularly financial services.

I subsequently joined GE Capital, working across private equity, leasing and senior debt financing while also helping to develop the firm’s long-term strategy following the 2008 financial crash.

There are things behind the scenes that can be streamlined to help our clients more efficiently and take some of the stress away from them

After more than a decade I joined Octopus Investment Management as chief operating officer.

My introduction to the mortgage industry came about three years later when I moved to Aldermore Bank, where I headed up strategy and marketing and helped lead the firm through its IPO in 2015.

I joined Kensington a few years later as chief commercial officer. I’ve helped to grow the company and, ultimately, complete our sale to Barclays earlier this year.

What led you to work in the mortgage industry?

What interests me is the complexity of mortgages as financial products, despite appearing simple on the surface.

The biggest challenge has been transitioning from working in big, international corporations to smaller, more agile firms

I think this is often not fully appreciated by most people and is particularly the case with specialist lenders such as Kensington, which take a more personalised approach to product development.

Since starting in the industry, the opportunities I have encountered to help people in need of specialist financing in an increasingly complex market have helped to extend my interest.

What does your role look like on a daily basis?

I manage Kensington’s front-end proposition, covering areas such as product, marketing and sales.

I dedicate a lot of time to keeping up with the latest developments in the mortgage market, using Kensington’s data and analytics tools to understand what our competitors are doing and how we should be positioning ourselves.

The industry has found it difficult to embrace new technologies as quickly as other areas of financial services have done

This helps to inform the direction we take in terms of pricing and product development, and to ensure that we continue to meet broker and client needs.

A large part of my role involves corporate governance, ensuring that Kensington adheres to the latest requirements and that we are abreast of any changes. The Consumer Duty has been a key consideration in recent months.

What has been the biggest challenge of your career, and the highlight?

The biggest challenge has been transitioning from working in big, international corporations to smaller, more agile firms.

The cultural change is a real eye opener and takes some getting used to, although ultimately it can be a lot more satisfying. You don’t have to wait as long to get things done, and you have more influence and accountability.

I dedicate a lot of time to keeping up with the latest developments in the mortgage market

The biggest highlight in many ways has been embracing and adapting to this shift. Despite the initial learning curve, changing the way I work to fit more dynamic settings has ultimately made my job more exciting and rewarding.

Is there anything you would change about the mortgage market?

Enhancing our relationship with technology. The industry has found it difficult to embrace new technologies as quickly as other areas of financial services have done.

This is partly due to the complexity of mortgages, with the many parties involved, from estate agents, brokers and solicitors to local authorities and conveyancers.

I have had a very varied career that started at PwC, where I trained as an accountant

There are things behind the scenes that can be streamlined to help our clients more efficiently and take some of the stress away from them.

If you didn’t work in finance, what other career would interest you?

I’d have loved a job involving languages, perhaps working as a translator for the United Nations.

What’s the best advice you have received?

A manager once told me to always aim to impress my boss’s boss. That way, you can make sure any discussion about your work is positive, even at the highest levels.

This article featured in the December 2023/January 2024 edition of MS.

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