Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Landbay?
I cover all mortgage intermediaries on the West side of London, including W, SW, KT, GU, and SL. I also manage four field-based business development managers (BDMs) and two telephone BDMs that work with brokers from Northampton, across to Norwich and down the country to Cornwall and Kent.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
It is important to have the ability to listen and have an empathetic nature. While a lender employs us, we are here to help make brokers’ lives easier. It is important to understand what they are saying and how they are feeling, to ensure we can react accordingly.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
Having the ability to feel more comfortable in this modern world with social media, artificial intelligence (AI) and all the technological advancements we see. While a lot of it can’t handle the nuances of specialist lending, it is essential to stay up to date with how these tools can assist in your role.
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What’s the hardest part of your job?
Coordinating a lot of moving parts, from internal teams to third parties such as valuers and solicitors. To achieve positive outcomes promptly, it is essential to maintain strong relationships and open lines of communication with all parties.
What do you love most about your job?
The people I meet. We have so many interesting people in our industry, all with something different to offer. So, it is excellent to learn and absorb information from others and share ideas to build long-lasting relationships.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
Perhaps not career-related as such, but through reading, you can understand your own personality traits. For example, introversion versus extroversion has a significant bearing on how you carry out your role, including identifying your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as being mindful of things to consider when interacting with others and how they receive information.
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
It’s okay not to have all the answers; be prepared to learn every day and admit when you don’t know to ensure people are always accurately informed. A quick no is better than trying to please people, and giving wrong information is certainly going to damage the relationships you have built.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
Industry press such as Mortgage Solutions, LinkedIn, various websites and industry events. It is important to know what is going on, even if it is not directly related to buy to let (BTL). Legislation, general criteria and products can have a knock-on effect on what we do. It’s always important to be well-informed, as this helps build credibility and confidence amongst brokers when we handle their cases.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
Recently, I have had to negotiate breaching the max loan on a product. Having multiple funding lines allows us to really sell the merits of a case to see what we can facilitate. While we can’t win every case, it is great to try at least and see what is possible. So, it is important always to present the facts accurately, but also to have the scope to negotiate with the positive points.
Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?
We deal with a lot of complex company structures where there is a development exit needed and the creation of new leases. While not unusual or uncommon for Landbay, aligning solicitors, accountants, broker and client expectations so it meets our requirements can often be a complex process behind the scenes to ensure the right outcome.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
I went to a trade show at university in 2004 and started with Northern Rock. During my career, I have progressed and felt continually challenged, so I made the decision to stay in this ever-changing industry. My daily motivation now is helping my brokers and managing my team, and helping them to progress.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
I would be a valuer as I love looking at properties. I appreciate the knowledge that you need to have, so I don’t mean to make it sound easy. I would just be feeding my curious side. I love looking at Rightmove and similar sites, looking for inspiration on there for my own conversion ideas and décor.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to own a ‘super’ kennel where dogs and cats were really well looked after, cleaned and walked, so people were more comfortable on their holidays and not so sad leaving their pet behind.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I would like to be managing a larger team of BDMs, continuing to help them nurture relationships and add value to brokers’ businesses.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation. I have a terrible track record of airlines not taking off when they are meant to, endless delays and weather that suddenly appears, which the country assures me “has never happened before to such an extent”.
What is your strategy for tackling challenges?
Get all the facts, be empathetic and supportive, but be direct and clear in my response to allow for no ambiguity. You can’t support effectively if you don’t know all the details.
What is your greatest skill(s), either work- or non-work-related?
Work-related, probably the ability to talk to anyone and find common ground. Non-work-related, I make a great Yorkshire pudding.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
Before arriving at an appointment, I received a call to say did I mind that his dog would insist on sitting on my lap for the whole appointment and that the cat may well challenge the dog on this! I can confirm they were eventually a very attentive audience once the power struggle was over.
