National mortgage and insurance network Stonebridge has appointed Caroline Bignell (pictured) as field-based business development manager (BDM) covering regions from Milton Keynes to Bournemouth as well as West London.
In her role, she will work closely with appointed representative (AR) firms and their advisers in those regions and will report to senior BDM Natalia Kennewell.
Bignell joins from The Mortgage Broker where she worked for around five years as a mortgage and protection consultant.
Before that she worked at IMH for around two years as a mortgage and protection conslutaltn and prior to that was a mortgage consultant at CMS for around five years.
Rob Clifford, chief executive of Stonebridge, said: “We continue to develop and enhance our BDM team with CeMAP-qualified, and highly experienced, individuals who are going to add real value to the member firms they work with.
“Caroline certainly fits this bill, and having been immersed in the mortgage and protection industries for over 10 years, she has the experience to know exactly what our members are going through, and the know-how to be able to tailor the support Stonebridge can provide based on their individual needs.”
He added: “We believe our firms in the regions covered by Caroline will gain a considerable amount from working with her and exploring how Stonebridge can continue to deliver for them.”
Stonebridge has been growing its BDM team, hiring Nicole Emery as BDM for the South West.
Its mortgage completions hit £12.6bn in 2022.
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.
