Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Leeds Building Society?
I joined the team at Leeds Building Society last year and was pleased to learn I would be working with advisers in my home county of Cheshire, across to Derby and as far as North Wales. I spend a lot of time in both Warrington and Chester, where lots of our largest intermediary partners are based.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
I’m often told that I have a lot of energy. This is something I’m grateful for when I’m out on the road visiting brokers across the length and breadth of the UK. I’m extremely passionate about my work and I hope that’s something that comes across to the firms we work with.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
Being responsible for supporting brokers across the region means it is important for me to be organised. I try to coordinate my time so that I can be of help to all of our intermediary partners.
Welcome to the future: how collaboration is driving the shift to digital home buying
Sponsored by Halifax Intermediaries
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Being out on the road for most of the week means that staying on top of all the inbound calls and emails can be challenging. I carve out time each day to respond to everything in my inbox and ensure no questions go unanswered.
What do you love most about your job?
Meeting new people is certainly the most enjoyable part of my job. I love to build relationships with all of our partners, and it’s always a pleasure to know we are making a difference in helping them support their clients.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
We have a family saying that I like to apply to my work ethos: “Be brave, be bold and be yourself at all times”.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
I am a regular LinkedIn user and keep abreast of industry news and views online. The weekly reports produced by Leeds Building Society keep me up to date on the key things affecting our industry and what it means for us.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
I once arranged a mortgage that included capital raising for £70,000 worth of trees.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
My first mortgage was with Northern Rock when I was 20. I will never forget my mortgage adviser. He was a character and left a lasting impression by smoking a whole packet of cigarettes in my apartment in Manchester while we were drawing up the paperwork. After that, the credit crunch hit, and I took a keen interest in the property market. From there, I started my training, and before long, I secured a mortgage for my old mortgage adviser’s daughter.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
Grand Designs is one of my favourite shows on TV, so I’d love to dip my toe into the world of renovations and project manage my own large-scale build.
What did you want to be growing up?
I also wanted to be a footballer and still think I could give it a good go.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’m a massive Batman fan. The biggest superpower a person has is their brain.
What is your strategy for tackling challenges?
I like to unpick the situation and focus on research and discussion to uncover a solution.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
I was once asked by a mortgage applicant if the Seychelles was in Birmingham.
