Equilaw has appointed Matthew Standish, formerly of Age Partnership and Equity Release Information Centre, as head of business development.
The firm said support through business development management is crucial to reflect the rapid growth in the equity release market and alongside ongoing digital innovation and operations.
Standish said: “I’m thrilled to be joining a company with ambitions that match my own. 2017 was a fantastic year for Equilaw and the future looks very exciting as we continue to strengthen the support we provide to financial advisers whilst maintaining the high standards that have been set.”
Claire Barker, managing director at Equilaw, (pictured) which was an Equity Release Award winner in 2017, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Matthew has joined the company. We recognised that business development had to be a major focus in 2018 and Matthew is ideally placed, given his background as an equity release adviser, to help us to work out what advisers want and need from solicitors. He brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles and we can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Standish will be consolidating Equilaw’s team with further new appointments in the near future.
Equilaw won best conveyancer at the 2017 Equity Release Awards.
Victoria Hartley is contributing editor at Mortgage Solutions, Specialist Lending Solutions, Your Money and Your Mortgage at London-based publishing company AE3 Media.
She has an MA in Radio from Goldsmiths after gaining a 2:1 in a Comparative American Studies BA at Warwick University. She also holds a TEFL qualification and taught overseas in Mexico and Japan from 1994 to 1997.
Her role includes editorial oversight of the news, analysis and features, event content management and strategic and editorial consultancy for the AE3 Media group. She is an experienced video, broadcast and live-event host and regularly chairs web and podcast debates and interviews.
Multiple award nominations have resulted in two wins: Santander Media Awards, trade journalist of the year and Headlinemoney Awards, mortgage journalist of the year (B2B). Here is one of the award-winning pieces: https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2011/07/21/exclusive-tale-bailey-fraud-witness/
Previous roles include editorships of Mortgage Solutions, consumer title What Mortgage and trade title Credit Today as well as a stint freelancing for a variety of outlets including The Guardian and Which? Money.