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Know Your BDM: Louise Drummond, Leeds Building Society

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  • 19/02/2021
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This week Mortgage Solutions is speaking with Louise Drummond, business development manager at Leeds Building Society.

 

What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role?

I’m responsible for around 1,000 brokers in the east coast and central belt of Scotland, which includes Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen.

 

How have you changed the way you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers in the pandemic?

Maintaining personal contact with work colleagues and clients is really important, so I’m using Zoom calls and video conferencing because it really helps me to connect, has given me new skills and is so important to our wellbeing.

 

What personal skill is most valuable in doing your job?

Being able to see things from other people’s perspective and put myself in their shoes. I think it’s really important to have an understanding of the issues customers and brokers are facing; that’s especially true at the moment.

 

What personal skill would you most like to improve on?

Following my university days, I started out in marketing and in the last few years I’ve focused on honing my social media skills and supported my team as required. I’ve still more to learn, so this will be something to build on this year.

 

Where would you rather be stuck, in bumper-to-bumper traffic or back-to-back Zoom calls?

I guess stuck in traffic, because that means I would be on my way to see one of my accounts. I’m looking forward to meeting people and telling them all about the improvements we’ve been making to our systems. I’m really missing that face-to-face contact with everybody and I can’t wait to be back on the road.

 

What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given?

To always treat everybody the same, whether they are at the top of the organisation or not, everybody deserves respect.

 

What is the most quirky property deal you’ve been involved in?

A derelict croft with no roof at the top of a cliff. Suffice to say, after trying to find a solution for the customer we had to conclude we couldn’t go ahead, but it was a really interesting project to be involved with.

 

What has been your lockdown coping strategy?

Not becoming too engrossed in the news. I ensure I’m up to date with the important information, but then get on with living the day-to-day.

 

If you were head of the FCA for the day, what would you change about regulation in the mortgage industry?

 

I’m really passionate about helping vulnerable customers because I like finding solutions to help people solve complex lending needs. So, I’d look at whether changes could be made to better support vulnerable customers.

 

What was your motivation for choosing business development as a career?

I love the variety and no two days are the same. I enjoy being on the road and meeting different people. So I’m looking forward to a time when I can get out and about again.

 

If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?

I’m curious by nature and I love property and looking around people’s homes so I guess an estate agent would suit me well.

 

What did you want to be growing up?

That’s easy – a vet. I loved animals and I still do. I’ve got two horses and a dog and if I could I’d have more, but my husband doesn’t agree.

 

What’s your favourite face mask design to wear?

I’m safety conscious but quite boring – I just use a blue surgical mask.

 

And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?

Out of the blue my son, who is 8, asked me a few days ago if I liked turtles, which was surprising as I don’t recall seeing one near us. It turned out he had been watching a video on YouTube.

 

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