Hughes was formerly chief executive of network Burns Anderson, which went into administration in 2012.
He started his career with Bristol & West, before working for Legal & General Bank, Castle and Novia Financial as sales and marketing director.
In his role as NED at HLP, Hughes will be advising the network’s executive team, drawing on his experience and knowledge of the financial services market in helping the South Coast network grow.
It comes after HLP last year bought Mortgage Support Network, a smaller mortgage and protection network based in Leicester, which continues as a separate entity.
Chris Tanner, chief executive at HL Partnership, said: “We are delighted to have Mike working with us.
“His experience of the sector and the lending market will be of immeasurable help as we set our plans in motion to grow our market share and attract new members to the HL Partnership family.”
Hughes added: “I am particularly excited about joining HL Partnership in a NED role.
“This is a company which has been one of the better kept secrets among networks.
“It has quietly gone about building up a nurturing environment for its members, backed by some of the best IT, training and compliance support systems I have seen.
“Having met with Chris Tanner and his team and looked at their plans, it was clear that HL Partnership had a lot more to offer mortgage and protection advisers searching for a stable and supportive base on which to build their businesses.
“My role will be to advise and help the board to build on its current success by amplifying its appeal to the adviser market.”
