Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Atom Bank?
I look after the North of England, from Blackpool all the way up to the Scottish border, coast to coast. I currently cover 1,141 individual brokers and 532 firms.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Juggling. Not physically, as I am certainly not coordinated enough for that, but balancing being out on the road seeing my brokers face to face as much as possible, keeping on top of emails and fitting in the planning and scheduling of appointments for coming weeks to maintain the momentum.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
I would most like to improve and perfect my snowboarding skills. When it’s an activity that doesn’t happen every week or month, it means that between trips you go backwards in ability a little, but not in confidence, which for me to date has ended in broken ribs for every trip I’ve been on. It would also mean I can keep up with my four boys as they have no fear and seemingly don’t go backwards in ability.
How to get your first-time buyer clients mortgage ready
Sponsored by Halifax Intermediaries
What is the hardest part of your job?
I enjoy every aspect of my job. The part I find hard is when we have to say no to a case because it doesn’t fit with our policy or processes, particularly when, on face value, you can see the appeal of a case. But giving a quick ‘no’ is always valued by brokers.
What do you love most about your job?
Being out and about, meeting all of my brokers, seeing their offices, meeting their teams and, of course, the snuggles from the popular additions of office dogs.
I love the reaction when I share our USPs to those brokers who still know very little about us and their follow-up calls when they have used us for the first time, experiencing the magic for themselves.
What is the best piece of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
My parents always told me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and make sure you enjoy it along the way. My husband has always encouraged me to utilise my potential and not to undersell myself (but he’s biased).
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
Talking to my brokers daily about their experiences, current cases and other lenders. Subscriptions to industry sites and blogs. Catch-ups with other local BDMs.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
It’s not one property as such. I started my career in mortgages aged 17 and was lucky enough to work within a large loans team. We dealt with huge mansions and massive payslips for celebrities and footballers and the like, so you can imagine how exciting that was for a 17-year-old girl just starting her career.
Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?
We often receive feedback from brokers that our near prime range was a game-changer for their clients, either in that they weren’t sure they were going to be eligible for a mortgage or that their only option would be a more expensive loan with a sub prime lender.
In this one particular case, the broker felt like our near prime range was too good to be true and was seeking a decision in principle from a sub prime lender. After much conversation and talking through our eligibility criteria, the broker agreed to give us a try. The end result was a happy broker and an even happier client.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
The enjoyment of talking to people, learning about their businesses, and how I can support them and their customers.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
I would 100% choose to be a high-net-worth or high-end estate agent for Sotherby’s, getting to see inside the UK’s most expensive houses.
