Jeffrey Krampah-Williams, national key account manager (mortgage division) at Santander, joined the sector over a decade ago and has held various broker-facing roles. He has worked at Santander for more than five years.
Have you always wanted to work in the finance sector? (if not, what job did you picture yourself doing?)
I honestly ended up falling into finance as a lot of people do. I initially went to university to study marketing and financial management and I always saw myself in a marketing role. I even had a marketing role during my placement year.
How did you get into the industry?
When I finished university, I decided I needed to find a job and start developing a career. I had done my duty as a good Ghanaian son and given my mum a graduation picture to put on the wall, (which is still there today). I initially applied for a role in a Nationwide branch as I thought this would tide me over before I began my marketing career. I got the job before I graduated, and this began my career in finance and I haven’t looked back. Since then, I have worked at various organisations across the sector and I’ve been at Santander now for over five years.
What is your favourite thing about working in the sector?
My favourite thing is seeing customers reach their goals. When I was a mortgage advisor in-branch, although it was great to see people get in their homes, the occasions that gave me the most satisfaction was seeing customers who had got their right to buy and never thought they would ever own a home, come back in and say ‘I have completed and thank you for your help’. I feel it’s important to remember there is a customer at the end of everything we do, and we should look to provide the best service we can for each person.
Did you ever feel there were barriers due to your race?
I would say there have been occasions, but fortunately the overt instances I have personally experienced have been few, however I will never know of all the covert barriers put in place. I choose not to focus on this though and prefer to pivot to another open door when one is shut.
Do you feel like diversity and inclusion has improved over your time in the sector?
I feel we are on a journey, but I believe we are still very much at the start of this. Post-George Floyd 2020 and when the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) published their report back in 2021, although this was a tough period, a lot of it resonated with what I had seen. I felt this was the beginning of change. In recent years, we have seen more of a narrative on diversity and inclusion being important and looking to improve, however, I believe real change has yet to be achieved.
Who in the sector inspires you most?
I know this question is going to get me in trouble as there are many people who inspire me, but I don’t think you want a list of 100 people. I firstly want to say all the managers I have had across my journey, I have been very fortunate to have encountered good people.
I honestly can’t narrow it down to one person, so I am going to say the two people who have been most inspiring in recent years have been Dom Scott and Damian Thompson.
Dom came over to me at an event when I was new to the industry, but more than coming over he then spent time speaking, investing and consciously or unconsciously began to become a bit of a mentor.
Dom introduced me to Damian who, to be honest after meeting him for the first time, completely blew me away with his mindset and his knowledge. In addition to this, he continued to keep in contact. He is always happy to make time and speak to me whenever I need.
It was also the first time I had seen black men in senior positions within the mortgage industry, which to me, was a gamechanger and these two inspire me to know it can be done.
Outside of the mortgage/finance market, who is your biggest inspiration?
This is a complete no-brainer – my dad. I have never seen a person more dedicated, hardworking, driven, family-focused, selfless, faith-filled, humble and positive-minded.
I could honestly write so much about how much I love and appreciate all my dad has done. The sacrifices he has made, the way he has led the family and how he has got our family to where we are. He continues to push through adversity even to this day and I honestly would not be where I am without him.
What advice would you give to anyone from a minority group who is thinking of joining the industry?
Join. Plain and simple. If you are thinking about it, often you already know what you want to do. However, I will say if you do have serious doubts or questions, do reach out to people. Connect with people on LinkedIn or within your network to get a greater understanding of the industry and the company you would like to join. I find people in the industry are always happy to have a chat.
What has been your biggest career achievement?
I would say this depends on how you measure achievement. Some people see it as accolades, promotions or awards, however, I will refer to what is important to me and that is the customer. To me, my biggest achievement was being part of the process that enabled a single mother with two boys to purchase her property under right to buy. I will never forget the day she came back into the branch, gave me a hug with tears in her eyes, and said thank you.
What skills and/or qualities do you bring to your role?
I would rather not list the usual qualities, however, I feel that one of my strengths is the fact I am different. The fact I came from a lower socio-economic background and often I am the only black person in the room, I will have a different view and perspective on things. McKinsey did a study in 2019 and found in the case of ethnic and cultural diversity, In the case of ethnic and cultural diversity, top-quartile companies outperformed those in the fourth one by 36 per cent in profitability. This shows the importance of having diversity at every stage as decisions are made and strategy is developed.
What life lesson or advice helped shape who you are today?
One piece of advice I got from one of my previous area directors was, be great in your current role and take on additional skills/tasks that will be relevant for the next role. Since getting this advice this is something I have always strived to do.
Where do you see yourself in five years career-wise?
In five years’ time, I would like to be in a much more senior role than I am today. I will not specifically name a role as we know these things change. However, I am currently picking up whatever skills I can to enable me to be ready for that role when it becomes available.
How diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) matter | McKinsey
AMI Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Report_13125_20211020011144746.pdf (workcast.com)
