Crystal Specialist Finance (CSF) has recruited Gareth Shilton as consultant and Kala Sreedharan as head of project management in an expansion of its senior team.
Shilton has 25 years’ experience in the mortgage and consumer credit sector and was chief executive of mortgage lender Ocean Finance for six years. He will consult the Crystal Group board on its growth strategy.
Sreedharan (pictured) has been appointed into the newly created role having previously consulted for CSF.
Her prior experience includes a one-year tenure as director of sales and operations at Mojo Mortgages and two years as vice president of operations at Habito.
At CSF, she will be tasked with transformation and change in the project management department.
Jo Breeden, managing director of CSF, said: “Our five-year plan has huge emphasis on driving technology innovation in the specialist sector. We aim to use data wisely and create best-in-class interaction so every application delivers a positive outcome for our broker partners and their clients.
“I feel incredibly proud that Gareth and Kala, people of such amazing calibre and integrity, are choosing to be part of our journey.”
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS