Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Fleet Mortgages?
I cover South Wales and the South West for Fleet, working with a broad network of adviser firms specialising in BTL across the region.
What personal talent or skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Relationship building is definitely one of the most important skills for me in my role as a BDM, combined with my 12 years’ experience of working in the mortgage industry. I’ve worked as both a mortgage adviser and a mortgage broker, so my previous experience has been really helpful in transitioning to becoming a BDM. I’ve been able to transfer my knowledge into my BDM role, understanding what brokers want and need, having been there myself.
What personal talent or skill would you most like to improve?
While I’ve always been comfortable presenting, delivering market insights is something I had limited experience of before becoming a BDM and it’s something we do a lot of at Fleet. I’d definitely like to continue developing my skills in that area.
What is the hardest part of your job?
It probably has to be rate pulls. But beyond that, I would say that the most challenging aspect of my role is balancing the demands of such a large geographical area, because I cover both South Wales and the South West.
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Wales may be geographically close to England, but it has its own culture, so it’s important for me to be able to adapt. Given the size of my patch, there also simply aren’t enough hours in the day to see everyone. Between answering the phone, meeting brokers and attending events, it can be difficult to be everywhere at once.
What do you love most about your job?
It’s got to be a combination of the people and the variety. No two days are the same, which I love. One day, I might be at a large conference in Birmingham, and the next day, I’ll be sitting with a broker firm in Wales eating Welsh cakes. It’s that variety that keeps me motivated and makes the role interesting.
What is the best piece of career-related advice you have ever been given? Who gave it to you?
When I worked at NatWest, one of my first managers used to say, ‘people buy from people’, and that’s how I try to do my job. We’re all human, so we get things wrong from time to time, but we’re all just trying to do our best for people. I think that’s what makes a good field BDM as well. And that I make myself available, contactable and always willing to help.
How do you keep up to date with market developments?
It’s a real mix. I keep up to date through communications from Fleet, webinars and networking events, as well as by talking to my brokers. They’re very good at keeping themselves informed about what’s happening in the market, so those conversations are really useful. LinkedIn is also a great place for keeping up with market developments.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
I love working with people and helping people, so going into the mortgage industry felt like a natural choice. I started as a mortgage adviser and later became a whole-of-market broker. Moving into a field BDM role felt like a natural progression because I love working with people and I love the industry. I also already knew a lot of lender BDMs through my previous role, so the transition felt quite straightforward.
Having been a broker myself has been a huge help because I understand what brokers need and what’s important to them from their BDM. I’ve been able to bring that knowledge into my role at Fleet. It also helped that I had previously worked as a whole-of-market broker in South Wales. I already knew a lot of people, there was trust there, and many of the brokers I work with have become friends.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
It would have to be property investment, which I think I would find really interesting. In a parallel life, I’d be buying, flipping and selling properties and building a successful portfolio.
Outside of work, I’m also a business ambassador for 2wish, a Wales-based charity that also supports families in England, and I support the charity with its fundraising efforts. And, as proof that we BDMs do have lives outside the office, I’m also a Zumba instructor and run weekly classes in my local community hall.
