Deeks caught up with Mortgage Solutions to discuss his last 18 months leading Leek Building Society and where he sees the business heading.
Tell me about your career so far.
I’ve been in the industry for just over 20 years and have spent most of that working in mortgages. I started my career at Coventry Building Society, where I launched the intermediary sub-brand, Coventry for Intermediaries. I was also part of the team that launched the mutual’s BTL subsidiary, Godiva Mortgages.
Then, I worked for several years as a management consultant, working with incumbents and entrants to the mortgage market. In 2012, I rejoined Coventry Building Society, where I progressed to become a member of the main board as product, marketing and strategy director. I was in that role for several years, then spent three years as chief strategy officer at LSL, owner of Primis and TMA Club, and while I was there, I was a director of two mortgage brokerages. I moved to my current role as CEO of Leek Building Society, where I’ve been since 2024.
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You’ve had experience working on both sides of the mortgage market and in a consultancy capacity. How have your career and skills helped to shape your current position, which is your most senior post?
Mainly, I love leading teams and one of the things I’ve done throughout my entire career, and been proud of, is launching new innovations, growing and transforming organisations. Those experiences are what really shaped me. My experiences of being in the leadership team of two different lenders, the leadership team of a mortgage network and a club, and as a director of a mortgage brokerage have given me a really powerful insight into what a compelling mortgage proposition looks like.
It’s quite unusual for people to have that kind of experience across the market.
I like to think I know what frustrates brokers. So often, we focus on the big stuff, but what often matters most to brokers is the basics, like a business development manager (BDM) not calling back or service level promises not being met.
What goal did you set out to achieve when you became CEO?
The first year has largely been about listening and observing, learning, trying to create a strategy that’s going to win in the market, and developing a team to support that vision. The next stage was the buy-in and communication. We’re now in execution mode.
I’m fortunate to have inherited such a strong organisation with many talented colleagues. The ethos is to raise the bar and move to the next level of what we are trying to achieve. It is about purpose-led growth, that’s the cornerstone of an organisation. You don’t shrink to greatness, and for us, that isn’t just about the balance sheet. That is important, but so is professional growth, the impact we have in communities and building on the confidence brokers and borrowers have in us.
I’m keen to reimagine what we do in the intermediary market and break new ground.
What are the main elements of your strategy?
Doubling down on the areas where we’re already really strong, such as limited company BTL, shared ownership and high-LTV lending, including new build. Not getting distracted by doing too many other things.
We’ve also invested quite heavily in technology and people, with the implementation of Finova technology and hiring a new head of lending.
Then, I want to spread the message to brokers who have not heard of Leek Building Society, so they can benefit from our proposition.
What does this growth look like? Is it a bigger loan book? More lending? Stronger broker relationships?
It’s the whole package. Price, policy, people, processes and propositions, we’re trying to enhance all of it. I’d like to improve our products, innovate our policy and service offering, develop existing colleagues and hire new people.
Recently, we introduced policy changes to remove the minimum income on BTL, lending on modern urban developments, and those have been received well by the market.
We will also improve our processes and technology. To be a good lender, it’s important to be good at everything.
What is your vision for Leek Building Society in the next 12 months?
I want to see Leek Building Society become an intermediary brand that more brokers know and love. We want more people to access our proposition, particularly the areas of business I mentioned previously, so we can be the first choice in those markets.
How will you make that vision a reality?
The implementation of Finova technology is just the start and there is more to come with the investment in technology, which will help us to realise more benefits.
We are also running an operational excellence programme in our mortgage operations. We are really excited about this and the benefits it’ll deliver to colleagues, borrowers and brokers.
The operational excellence programme will involve looking at processes end to end from both a borrower and broker perspective.
We are also planning more investment in relationship management, communication and technology, including artificial intelligence (AI).
I’m excited to reimagine why we do things a certain way, just because that’s how it’s always been done. We have to reimagine processes, question why we do them that way and whether they can be improved.
Colleagues like it when processes that aren’t efficient or necessary are removed, and customers and brokers like it because it means they get a better-quality service.
What opportunities does Leek Building Society see for the business?
To become a go-to lender in our target markets. I think we are strong enough and those markets are big enough.
There is also an opportunity to demonstrate that technology can enable, rather than replace, the human element. There is still a lot of value in BDMs, speaking to underwriters and generally interacting with people.
That will be more of a focus than moving into new markets.
What is your leadership style and how does it support your vision for Leek Building Society?
Like many others, I really respect Steve Jobs. He had great views and beliefs; I love his quote that says: “Great things in business are never done by one person. They are done by a team of people”.
That reflects my leadership style, to be surrounded by great people and create an environment where they can thrive.
I’m an Ipswich Town fan and their CEO talks about his role being to give management oxygen. I really like that.
In my office, I also have a print of my favourite Einstein quote, which is: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”. I’m a huge believer in the power of simplicity. If you can strip that away so you can see the opportunities and challenges, that’s where the magic happens.
