Fleet Mortgages wins Employer of the Year award

The awards celebrate the success of businesses in Hampshire and are open to firms from across the region. The Employer of the Year Award is given to the business that can best prove a genuine dedication to its workforce, over and above any statutory duty.

Fleet (team pictured) went through a rigorous judging process, including a visit from the judging panel, which was comprised of business leaders and experts from across the region. It was shortlisted alongside two other businesses, Tate and the Hampshire Court Hotel.

Bob Young, chief executive of Fleet Mortgages, said: “It is a fantastic achievement for us all, with intense competition for the award, and I think shows exactly what we’ve achieved as a business together over the past two years since we were established.”

Young told Specialist Lending Solutions that the company strives to have an open and inclusive culture – with team members regularly invited to give their ideas for improvements to their own teams and the wider business.

“Our over-riding aim has been to make Fleet Mortgages a good place to work. That means recruiting well, training well and promoting responsibly.”

He added that this runs through the core of the business – as lending responsibly is a key part of ensuring Fleet is a good place to work.

The company is an intermediary-only, buy-to-let lender for individuals, limited companies and those looking to invest in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)/Multi-units.

Head of HR Kim Beaven said Fleet works hard to provide a smooth transition for joiners to the company, which now has around 70 staff. New joiners all meet chief executive Bob Young and follow an induction programme. The business supports training and development, hiring an external trainer for CEMAP, which has resulted in a 100% success rate.

As well as a generous benefits package, the company provides free fruit, an employee assistance programme and arranges monthly social events in the office as well as quarterly briefings for all staff in a local restaurant – at which Young makes a presentation on Fleet’s progress and plans.

“We want our employees to feel heard and to experience a warm and convivial atmosphere,” said Beaven.

Young added: “Given the relative infancy of our business, to receive recognition like this says a huge amount about the team we have assembled at Fleet. We have always prided ourselves on our ability to support and nurture staff, to ensure it’s a work environment that people can buy into in and excel in, and where they are rewarded for all their hard work.”