As one business – with the name still under deliberation – the brokerage will be working with more than 60 developers nationwide, employing 120 advisers.
The merger was orchestrated by MAB, a partial owner of both companies, in the early months of 2025.
Jason Blunden, managing director of Evolve, said: “MAB wanted to bring together two of the biggest firms that they had part ownership of [and] combine them together, taking full ownership of them and creating one centre of excellence for their new-build business and accelerat[ing] their market share.”
With agreement from both firms locked in, MAB acquired the remaining shares of Evolve and Meridian in H2, heralding the merger as a milestone moment for its growth in the sector.
With its leadership team now in place, Evolve’s Blunden and James Collings, new-build director of Meridian Mortgages, are busy laying out their priorities for 2026.
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Mortgage Solutions sat down with them to find out more.
Teams take shape
The ink is still wet on the senior leadership team’s contracts, but they’re now all in place and made up entirely of internal hires.
Allan Warren will take up the role of group managing director, with Blunden as group sales director and Simon O’Doherty as head of group operations. Neil Skinner steps into the position of head of protection, while Collings is named head of partnerships and growth.
Georgina Hall takes on the head of sales position, with Bill Aiken as special adviser.
Operationally, the businesses are now working as one company, but lots of decisions in terms of headquarters and logistics are still to be ironed out.
The recruitment of the next tier of staff is underway, with at least one external hire expected.
“We don’t want to have any part of the business that is rudderless and we want to have a consistent message across the business,” said Blunden.
Helping to make the transition smoother is the existing shared use of MAB’s systems. Not having to migrate one or both businesses onto new systems gives both sides of the business continuity in sales, delivery and operations, and so to their customers, it’s business as usual.
Complementing cultures
The firms say they’ve always had a ‘friendly rivalry’, having both been in the new-build business for decades, starting from humble beginnings and having a family-orientated culture at their core.
Collings said: “We already had a close-knit relationship. We had no problem picking up the phone and speaking to each other, sharing insights and seeking feedback, because that’s how we work.
“You need collaboration in this industry and we came across each other at many events and have shared many Teams calls and we’ve always had a good relationship.
“That shows that the cultures are already fairly aligned.”
Tech-focused approach
The overarching goal is to be “the number one new-build broker of choice”. They plan to do this using technology but also to ensure the customer service they give to both the borrower and the builder is “outstanding”.
One of the company’s key focuses is to develop existing opportunities with developers and offer advanced technological features to them, such as customer portals, so they can get ongoing case updates, submit leads out of hours or escalate cases.
Another project the business is working on is the development of bespoke online calculators, in partnership with developers, that carry dual branding. As well as giving the public an idea of how much the mortgage will cost, the calculator will also compare it to the cost of using a scheme such as Own New, for example.
“The idea is that we’re not hooking the customer into a marketing campaign until they are comfortable with it and we’re happy for them to get that information from us and decide on what to do next,” said Collings.
The next step, he adds, is to capture more of those customers that may want to speak to them following their interaction with the calculator. This could involve the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and more intuitive software that asks further questions or suggests different routes to homeownership if the buyer has failed affordability.
Growth and lead conversion
MAB has been clear that its objective by combining the businesses is to grow its market share in new-build even more, and the team has been given a wide scope on how it delivers that growth.
Blunden said: “We’re looking to grow organically as we speak to more developers and we’re also looking to grow at pace, which will include the acquisition of other businesses as well.”
The team will also be looking within the company for growth opportunities by focusing on brokers’ skill at converting every lead that comes into the company.
Collings said: “I believe there’s more growth from broker conversion to be had. By having brilliant partnerships with the existing developers we work with, by working more collaboratively, we can grow without increasing resources.
“People need to speak to new-build brokers more than ever. Because of the strength of the market and schemes like Rezide or Own New, buyers need to speak to someone who lives and breathes this industry. That means we need to work as closely with developers as we possibly can, so that together, we can introduce those solutions to customers when they come to view show homes.
“We need to do a better job at selling our services. The market has been quite tough and therefore you have to look after every single client who comes through that door, nurture and keep in regular contact with them to help them on that journey to homeownership and deliver them back to the builder when they’re ready to buy the property.
“We’re already pretty good at it, but that will be a key focus for us over the next six months.”
