Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Barclays?
I cover the whole of the East of Scotland, but also cover other areas close to my postcode.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Listening and taking time to understand the broker’s business. This allows me to get to grips with how I can help. I have a tenacious tendency to get the best results for my brokers and their customers.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
Impatience. This is mainly on behalf of my brokers; my boss and underwriters will testify to that.
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What’s the hardest part of your job?
Time management. There are so many great things at Barclays that I want to communicate, and as a result, we are incredibly busy. It’s difficult to balance priorities while ensuring that every product, policy initiative, service enhancement and campaign gets the attention it deserves.
What do you love most about your job?
I’m a people person and the best part of my job is spending time with my brokers. It’s a great feeling when you can see a business partnership grow.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given?
We spend a lot of our time at work, so do something you enjoy that plays to your strengths.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
Internal stakeholders and publications such as Mortgage Solutions.
Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?
A last-minute change from the customer on the day of completion for a new build – late on a Friday afternoon – led to the funds being returned by the solicitor. Through my intervention, I was able to ensure the transaction was completed early Monday morning, preventing any impact on the customer.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
I’ve been working in financial services for 26 years, primarily on the intermediary side. Early in my career, the head of intermediaries told me I would make a great relationship manager and that brokers would love working with me. I took this to heart and pursued this path in my professional development.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
I’d be a surveyor, but the reality is that I would be awful, as I’d just be going around the properties looking for inspiration for my house.
What did you want to be growing up?
A nurse – until I realised I don’t handle the sight of blood very well.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to read minds.
What is your strategy for tackling challenges?
Recognising priorities, allocating time and planning accordingly.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
“So, what is it you do for a living at the moment?” – a question I was unexpectedly asked at a broker meeting in a coffee shop.
It turned out I was sitting with the wrong person; someone who thought they were interviewing me for a job. Since it was my first meeting with the actual broker, neither of us knew what the other looked like. Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it.
