What does your role at Atom Bank entail and how long have you been doing it?
The main aspects within my role as telephone BDM include building and managing broker relationships, seeking new business opportunities and keeping our brokers up to speed with our latest offers, rates and USPs – everything that sets us apart from the competition in the market and on the high street. I’ve been in this role now for around a year and a half.
What attracted you to working in the mortgage/property/finance sector?
I landed in the finance industry by utter chance, but I have grown to love it. I started my career as a banking associate at Virgin Money, which was a weekend job to fund my retail therapy at the time.
Eventually, I was offered a job with Atom Bank around six years ago. I started off as a mortgage administrator, where I completed my CeMAP, before moving up to BDM, and I have just graduated from the NACFB Broker Academy.
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What were you doing in the five years before starting here?
Prior to my BDM role, I worked closely with the other development managers in my team. That included arranging networking events, procuration fee payments and all things admin, as the mortgage administrator for both residential and commercial teams. The fact that I was already so familiar with our processes, and knew all of the team, meant that my transition into the BDM role was a smooth one.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
I’m very much a people person, which is incredibly useful for relationship building with co-workers and brokers alike. Having strong relationships with the wider team helps us stay connected and deliver a smooth mortgage journey for the brokers we work with and their clients.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
My self-confidence, or lack of it, has not always been helpful. I know that I am good at my job, and understand what brokers need from me, but there are times when I second-guess myself. It’s something I’ve worked on, and has really improved, but there is more work to be done.
How has the pandemic changed the way you approach your job?
The hybrid working approach that Atom Bank has employed since the pandemic, along with the fact we employ a four-day working week, has meant I have a much healthier work/life balance.
My telephone-based role hasn’t changed drastically, given the majority of the work I do is carried out via Microsoft Teams meetings and telephone conversations. This just means the brokers see my kitchen a lot more than I’d originally planned.
What is the most interesting/memorable property deal/case you’ve been involved in?
A few weeks ago, I was involved with my largest loan to date: a transaction for £6.3m. The broker on the case was brilliant, which really made our job a lot easier – it was a great example of how understanding how to package a case makes a tangible difference to the outcome. I loved being involved from day one on a case that resulted in such a large sum of money going to support a UK business.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
In the future, I would like to progress from my current role to work as a regional BDM or account manager. There’s an added personal element when you are working with brokers face to face rather than through video chats. Getting out and meeting people for a chat over a coffee sounds good to me, as a bit of a hermit.
If present-day you could go back in time and tell yourself something five years ago, what would it be?
You’re more than able to accomplish anything you aim to achieve. If you weren’t capable then the opportunity wouldn’t present itself. Also, to stick at the gym, because I could still have abs.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve tackled so far in your career?
There are a lot of nuances to commercial lending policies; it’s not always entirely black and white. Getting to grips with that is not something that happens overnight, but I threw myself into building that knowledge so that I can always deliver the correct advice and guidance to our brokers.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d have to say teleportation, because these Ryanair flights are getting more and more expensive and Lord knows I love a five-day stint in the Balearics.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
A broker very politely asked if they could ask a personal question and told me to feel no obligation to answer. They proceeded to ask if I was related to Jamie Vardy. Sadly not, but it has gotten me some free drinks in the past.
