Rachel East has been appointed to the newly created role of group head of strategy, reporting to chief strategy officer Russell Anderson, who joined the company in May.
She will support Anderson in driving the development and execution of Together’s strategy, with a focus on growth, transformation and strengthening key relationships.
East has 20 years of experience in financial services and has held senior positions at Key, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and HFC Bank.
During her career, she has overseen the delivery of efficiency improvements in later life lending. East is also a member of the Equity Release Council.
Anderson said he was delighted to welcome East to the newly formed strategy team and said her “in-depth knowledge of the financial services industry and her specialism in later life lending is invaluable to Together’s plans to drive growth in key territories”.
He continued: “Working directly with me, Rachel will help unlock new routes to market as we support more customers in achieving their property goals.”
Richard Rowntree, group CEO of Together, said, “As we continue to invest in our transformation, we are strengthening the group’s strategic capability.With Rachel and Russell on the team, we will be able to accelerate our next phase of growth and deliver our ambition to be the UK’s finance partner of choice.”
East added: “I’m excited to join Together and work alongside Russell to deliver a strong strategic focus for growth. I have long admired the business, its ambition and broad offer to support customers, and I look forward to unlocking and bringing new initiatives to market.”
Lewis Hepworth has been appointed corporate sales director for Yorkshire, bringing a decade of experience in financial services across banking and commercial real estate.
In his role, Hepworth will support individuals and businesses with larger transactions between £1m and £20m.
He was most recently at Handelsbanken, working primarily as a corporate manager across Bradford and Halifax.
He has also worked as a portfolio executive for Reward Finance Group, and before that, he was an associate in commercial real estate at National Australia Bank.
Hepworth said: “My new role is focused around supporting both new and existing customers with their growth aspirations, as well as maintaining and developing strong relationships with introducers, to build Together’s professional network and profile.
“Yorkshire has always been a financial powerhouse, and its regional economy continues to show remarkable resilience, driven by entrepreneurial investors, developers and business leaders.
“Together already has a great reputation in the region for its common-sense approach and flexible financial products [that] can be delivered at speed, and I’m looking forward to providing more clients with finance, unlocking new opportunities to help drive forward Yorkshire’s future economic growth.”
Hepworth will report to Mark Eastwood, the group’s director of sales.
Eastwood said: “Lewis has the drive and determination to thrive in his new career at Together and we’re delighted to welcome him to the role of corporate sales director for Yorkshire.
“His experience and skills in relationship building mean he’s already developed a large network of clients and professional introducers and this will be of huge benefit to our business as he continues to grow Together’s brand throughout the region.
“There is huge demand in Yorkshire for well-capitalised and reliable lenders who can take a common-sense and flexible approach to structuring the finance needed by entrepreneurial businesses to meet their property ambitions.”
Finally, Together has announced the appointment of Olivia Jones as business development manager (BDM).
She will support property investors seeking finance for commercial investors to purchase property at below market value (BMV).
Jones has more than seven years of experience in the property sector and began her career at Edward Mellor Estate Agents, taking on roles including vendor performance manager, relationship manager, and mortgage and protection case manager, before qualifying as a mortgage and protection adviser.
Jones said: “I caught the property bug early on during my time at Edward Mellor, and I’ve been passionate about the industry ever since.
“Working my way up through the business gave me a really strong grounding in the market, and completing my exams to become a mortgage adviser was a natural next step for me.”
Elliot Vure, director of sales for BMV at Together, added: “Olivia brings a fantastic blend of hands-on property experience and advisory knowledge, which makes her a great fit for our team.
“Her progression through the industry demonstrates both her commitment and expertise, and her enthusiasm for supporting customers really stands out.
“We’re delighted to welcome her to Together as we continue to invest in talented people who can deliver the flexible, relationship-led service our customers and introducers value.”
