Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Gatehouse Bank?
As a TBDM, I’m office-based rather than regionally aligned, which means I support brokers across the UK rather than covering a specific geographic area.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Communication is the most valuable skill in my role. It enables me to convey information clearly, actively listen to brokers and adapt my approach to suit different audiences and situations. Effective communication helps build strong and lasting relationships, encourages collaboration and ensures brokers are kept informed throughout the process. This ultimately leads to positive outcomes for both the brokers and their customers, while supporting a high level of service and trust.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
With the property finance market constantly evolving through changing products, criteria, regulations and market conditions, I am focused on continuously building my market knowledge. This helps me provide more informed guidance to brokers, identify opportunities more effectively and ensures I can adapt quickly to industry changes while delivering the best possible service.
Episode 1: First-time buyers : Powered by Partnership podcast from Newcastle for Intermediaries
Sponsored by Newcastle for Intermediaries
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Managing the demands of a busy workload while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. As a BDM, it’s important to focus on prioritising and structuring my day to ensure tasks are completed efficiently and deadlines are met. I also place a strong emphasis on personal wellbeing by maintaining a healthy diet and staying active through lunchtime walks, running and morning gym sessions. This helps me manage stress, stay focused and perform at my best.
What do you love most about your job?
Apart from being part of an amazing team, what I enjoy most about my role is helping brokers secure the right solution for their clients, particularly when I can help clients with complex circumstances achieve their goal of buying a home. It’s rewarding to use my knowledge and experience to identify solutions, support brokers through challenges and ultimately help them achieve positive outcomes for their customers.
Are there any (popular) misconceptions about your job/role?
A common misconception about my role is that it’s purely sales-focused. While generating business is important, the role is much more centred around building strong relationships with brokers, supporting their development and helping them better understand Gatehouse Bank’s products and criteria. A significant part of the job involves providing guidance on complex cases, sharing market and product knowledge and working collaboratively with brokers to help them achieve the best outcomes for their customers.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
The best career advice I’ve ever received came from a Corporal during my army basic training. At the time, I was finding it challenging to adapt to the environment and the physical and mental demands of training. He sat me down and told me never to give up on my goals and that the mind is often stronger than the body. That advice has stayed with me throughout my career and personal life. Whether I’m dealing with a particularly busy period at work or pushing through the final miles of a run, it reminds me to stay focused, remain resilient and keep moving forward even when things feel difficult.
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
I’ve learnt the value of volunteering for additional responsibilities, projects and opportunities that push me outside of my comfort zone. Taking on new challenges has helped me develop new skills, broaden my experience, and build relationships with colleagues across Gatehouse Bank. Stepping outside of my usual role has not only supported my professional growth but has also increased my confidence and exposure to different areas of the business.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
Through a combination of my own research, industry news and discussions with colleagues across the business. I regularly monitor market updates, trends and regulatory changes to ensure my knowledge remains current.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
A multi-unit freehold block (MUFB) with five houses under one title. These types of properties are not supported by many providers but, at Gatehouse Bank, this is something we can consider.
Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?
As Gatehouse Bank’s offering includes buy-to-let (BTL) finance for a wide international market, a lot of our enquiries could be deemed complex. However, with support from colleagues and my own knowledge of the market and our products, we can often help brokers through trickier applications.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
The opportunity to work with a wide range of people and build strong, lasting relationships. I enjoy connecting with brokers, understanding their needs and helping them achieve positive outcomes for their customers. The relationship-building aspect of the role, combined with the ability to help others and make a meaningful difference, is what continues to make my job rewarding for me.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
I would choose to be a property developer. I find the idea of identifying opportunities, transforming properties and seeing a project progress from concept to completion very rewarding.
What did you want to be growing up?
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a refuse collector. It might sound unusual, but I liked the idea because I’ve always been an early riser and I knew it would involve starting and finishing work early. At the time, that seemed like the perfect job to me.
Where do you see yourself in five years or, how do you think your job will change in five years?
In five years, it will be interesting to see how artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the industry and the way we work. I believe there will be significant benefits for both providers and brokers in improving efficiency, speeding up processes and providing quicker access to information.
However, I also believe the human element will remain essential. Building trust, developing relationships and understanding brokers’ individual needs are areas where personal interaction adds real value. That will continue to be important regardless of how much technology evolves.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d choose the ability to see 24 hours into the future whenever I wanted. This would help me make better decisions and prepare for challenges before they arise, both professionally and personally, while still leaving plenty of room for surprises and spontaneity in life.
What do you do to unwind?
To unwind, I enjoy staying active and spending time on fitness-related hobbies. Staying active helps me relax and recharge, so you’ll often find me at the gym, out running, hiking or playing football. However, I also appreciate balance and enjoy going out for a nice meal with friends and family or having a more relaxed day at home, binge-watching a good series or a couple of films on Netflix.
What is your greatest skill(s), either work- or non-work-related?
Being a people person is one of my greatest strengths, both professionally and personally. I enjoy building strong relationships, connecting with people from different backgrounds and adapting my approach to suit different personalities and situations. In my role, this helps me develop trust with brokers, understand their needs and provide the support they need to achieve the best outcomes. Outside of work, it enables me to build meaningful relationships, communicate effectively and work well with others in both social and team environments.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
I don’t tend to receive many truly strange questions in my role, as most conversations are focused on helping brokers with their cases and finding solutions to challenges. There have certainly been some unexpected questions from time to time, but that’s one of the things I enjoy most about the role – every day is different and you never quite know what the next conversation will bring.
