At Kyle Financial we care about our clients and their needs. That is what makes us a leading provider of mortgages and property finance.

We are also recognised for our excellent service by the experts in the sector and were nominated for two mortgage industry awards, two years in a row — of which we are very proud. We work to ensure our clients feel helped every step of the way.

Each of our advisers has an area of expertise. Collectively, we aim to place our clients on a strong financial foundation to not only buy their home but protect their ability to own their home and ensure they can stay in it.

We are driven by a shared set of core values based on putting our clients at the heart of what we do and acting with integrity.

What led you to become a broker?

I grew up in a family business and so left school at the earliest opportunity to learn from my father.

I am so grateful to him for teaching me all I know about running a business, and it’s a fitting tribute to him that I have become a success in my own field.

My father always told me, “You can become whatever you put your mind to.” However, I did not actively seek to become a mortgage adviser but, as is usually the way, life circumstances led me to identify the business potential from helping clients own one of the biggest financial assets they are likely to have — their home.

There is no better feeling than being able to tell my clients that they have a mortgage offer to buy their property. I also recognise that I have a duty of care to my clients to protect their financial interests and ensure that they can stay in their home.

What plans do you have for the future as a broker?

To continue to embrace the use of technology to see more people, further afield, at a time that is beneficial to both the client and my schedule.

To survive in this industry, we need to be able to adapt to the many changes that confront us. We have all had to adapt to new methods of working during the pandemic and this will become the new normal.

What single thing could lenders do to improve brokers’ lives the most?

To continue what they are doing: constantly striving for ways to improve the solutions they can offer clients. We must not lose sight of the fact that we do not work in silos. We work in partnership with lenders and insurers to provide the best possible outcomes for our clients.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the BDMs for their support, during this past year especially.

What advice do you have for a broker just starting out?

The adage ‘People buy from people’ is as relevant today as it ever was.

Taking time to really get to know your clients — their views, feelings and thoughts — will build trust and develop long-term relationships that will ensure they become lifelong clients and will refer you to friends and family.

In addition, always focus on doing right by your clients, not just doing things right. Money, success and self-worth are all by-products of this mindset.

How can the industry encourage a new intake of brokers?

I am sure there are very few people in the financial services sector who, while they were at school, held the dream of becoming a mortgage adviser.

The giving of financial advice, in whatever format that entails, is a credible professional career path and aspects of financial management should be introduced in both school and college curricula.

The skills, knowledge and attributes that are required by a mortgage adviser should never be under-estimated. Richard Coulson of Primis Network had it right when he said: “It’s a proper job.”