Paragon has appointed Russell Anderson (pictured), formerly head of sales and distribution at Bank of Ireland (BOI), to the newly created role of customer retention and partnerships director.
In the role he will work on the improving the lender’s proposition and existing customer relationships.
Anderson worked at BOI for nearly five years and was head of sales and distribution for just over three years. Before that he was head of direct sales.
He has also held senior roles at Future Williams & Glyn Team at RBS, including regional mortgage director.
Prior to that he worked at Santander for around five years, which included the role of divisional select manager.
Richard Rowntree, mortgages managing director for Paragon, said: “I’m extremely pleased to welcome Russell to Paragon. He takes on a new role that will further strengthen an already experienced and high-performing team.
“Russell brings a wealth of experience to the role and has a proven track record with lots of tangible success in his career to date. Russell is well known in the industry and will support our ambitions to grow, with a strong focus on our customers.”
Anderson added: “Having worked in finance and mortgages for much of my career, I’ve been aware of Paragon for some time and its reputation within the industry was part of what attracted me to the role.
“Starting what is a new role is particularly exciting as it provides the opportunity to be truly innovative and perhaps view things from a new or different perspective. I’m looking forward to working with my new team to build on their success so far.”
Anna is currently the deputy editor for Mortgage Solutions and editor for Specialist Lending Solutions. She has worked as a journalist since 2019, having secured her Gold Standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates in a fast-track six-month course.
She started her career as a report at specialist publication The Insurance Insider covering a wide range of areas before joining Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions in 2021.
In her role, she helps put together and structure the news agenda for the day and writes up press releases, reports, interviews, analyses and exclusives across both titles. She also commissions blogs for Specialist Lending Solutions and hosts online masterclasses and in-person events across the business.
She has been shortlisted for three journalism awards, which include BIBA Journalist and Media Awards Scoop of Year Award in 2020, Headline Money Mortgage Journalist of the Year Award (B2B) in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to being a journalist, Anna worked in ecommerce across Snow + Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need websites, and before that worked at specialist financial PR firm Rostrum.
In her spare time, Anna enjoys reading, seeing live music, and cooking for friends and family. When she gets a chance, she also enjoys hiking, skiing and indoor rock climbing.
