Lavender joins from Partners Wealth Management, where she was a specialist mortgage broker for around a year.
Prior to that, she was a mortgage broker at Eastcote Wealth Management for around seven years and has also held advisory roles at NatWest and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG).
Smith was previously at Molo, where he was a senior BDM for around a year, and before that, he was a BDM at Octane Capital for around a year.
Before that, he was a senior regional account manager at West One Loans for just over a year, and prior to that, he was a national account manager for first charge mortgages at Masthaven for around five years.
Lavender said: “As a broker, you always need to think about the customer and understand the needs of the borrower, so I will bring that experience to my new role. We are helping people who want a house, who want a home of their own. These are people who are contributing to the UK, such as health workers and the self-employed. Why should they be forced to rent?
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“Afin is a small but growing organisation, so there is still the personal touch, which I really like. We can get around a table and discuss a case, and I love how motivated and keen people in the team are.”
Smith added: “I like being there at the beginning of a new lender, as opposed to being a small part of a very big bank. I get to help shape the proposition and work closely with new and existing brokers, which is vital in helping Afin grow.
“I love what Afin stands for, and I have always focused on solutions, helping brokers find the right mortgages for their customers. My experience of supporting other under-served customers, such as foreign nationals, will be helpful in my new role.”
Jason Oakley, CEO of Afin Bank, said: “Interest in Afin has been incredible, and we are only six months into our journey, but we are ambitious and want to help more customers. Having people of the calibre of Debbie and John means we can work with even more brokers and help more under-served borrowers get the mortgages they deserve.”
Afin Bank recently made Tippie Malgwi its head of high-net-worth (HNW) and diaspora banking and hired Rob Lankey as its director of credit.
