Founded by Gurpreet Chahal, Paul Purewal and Dina Bhudia, the network was established to support South Asian professionals working across mortgages and protection, while encouraging more people from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in financial services.
Over the past year, the SAMPAN brought together lenders, brokers, distributors and other industry participants through a series of events on career development, representation and community engagement.
Its launch event in London, supported by Lloyds, provided a platform for professionals to share their experiences and discuss allyship, while a second event in Solihull, backed by Paragon, Skipton for Intermediaries and Dudley Building Society, explored attracting new talent into the sector and supporting career progression.
The network said it also aimed to help the industry better understand the cultural and financial factors that can shape homeownership journeys within South Asian communities, including multigenerational living, family-supported deposits and attitudes towards financial advice.
Gurpreet Chahal, co-founder of the SAMPAN, spoke to Mortgage Solutions earlier this year to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month. He reflected on how his South Asian heritage contributed to his professional identity today.
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On the SAMPAN, Chahal said the organisation was created after its founders identified both a need and an opportunity within the market.
“We wanted to build something that gave South Asian professionals in our industry greater visibility, confidence and connection, while also helping the wider market better understand the communities we serve,” he said.
Looking ahead, the SAMPAN plans to launch a webinar series covering topics such as career progression, role models, allyship, community engagement and barriers to homeownership.
Chahal said the network’s next phase would focus on turning discussion into meaningful action through greater collaboration across the industry.
Paul Purewal, co-founder of the SAMPAN, said the organisation had grown from an informal conversation into a community bringing together people from across the mortgage market.
He added that its first year had demonstrated a strong appetite for collaboration, with future plans centred on supporting members’ career ambitions and creating new opportunities.
Sonya Matharu said being involved with the SAMPAN had strengthened her connection to her South Asian identity and highlighted the value of community within the industry.
“Growing up, I always had a slightly complicated relationship with my South Asian identity. I never really felt ‘South Asian enough’ to have a voice in conversations about representation, so being part of SAMPAN has meant more to me than I probably expected,” she said.
Matharu added: “I think that sense of community and belonging is what makes SAMPAN so important, and I’m really excited to see what comes next.”
