What was your intention for Heron Financial when it was set up?

Back in 2011 when we set up Heron our plan was always to be different. We knew that the mortgage and protection market was changing and we set out to be at the forefront of that change.

Through our focus on bringing through apprentices and our determination to build technology into the DNA of the business, we wanted to ensure a new kind of service that was both streamlined and personal.

We have streamlined communication and the exchange of information, resulting in a better experience for all

What has been your company’s biggest success to date?

Undoubtedly our biggest success has been the people who have joined our team over the past 10 years.

Every single person has brought a different skillset and background, and as a result of that we benefit from a constant stream of new ideas.

And what has been your biggest professional challenge so far?

Over the years there have been plenty of challenges but possibly the biggest of those (while also being a huge opportunity) was the first lockdown, in March 2020.

We knew that the mortgage and protection market was changing and we set out to be at the forefront of that change

We will look back on that as a transformative period for our business.

What aspect of your business has changed the most in the 10 years since it was established?

Our core belief in customer service is still there and always will be.

The most fundamental change has been the growth of our platform, Everglades, which we continue to build, day by day, with the aim of always improving that all-important customer journey.

Everglades has become the lifeblood of our business and is a three-in-one platform that brings together the team here at Heron, our clients, and the housebuilders and estate agents we look after.

It’s important for all of us at Heron to continually put ourselves in the shoes of our clients to ascertain how they are viewing a situation

Through partnerships with Experian, Zoom and Microsoft, among others, we have streamlined communication and the exchange of information, resulting in a better experience for all.

There are some really exciting enhancements planned as we push to keep Everglades at the forefront of technological development in the mortgage and protection markets.

You were awarded the title of ‘Best Broker for Digital Innovation’ at the Mortgage Strategy Awards this year. How do you balance the use of technology with traditional advice?

Our thinking behind our use of technology is to take away the ‘boring bits’ of the customer journey; for example, the provision of documents and application status updates.

Inevitably this frees up more time for us to have meaningful conversations with our clients about the things that really matter to them.

We wanted to ensure a new kind of service that was both streamlined and personal

If you could choose any job other than your current career, what would it be?

I love working with people and helping them to improve, so some kind of coaching role would suit me well, I think.

Do you have any secret talents?

I often remind people that there is only a small handful of things I’m actually good at, most of them involving mortgage and protection advice, and that’s where my talents end!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I was told early in my career that ‘Perception is reality’ in relation to a client journey.

Therefore it’s important for all of us at Heron to continually put ourselves in the shoes of our clients to ascertain how they are viewing a situation, irrespective of the facts.

That notion has always stayed with me.

Our biggest success has been the people who have joined our team over the past 10 years

Who is your all-time hero, and why?

Being a lifelong Newcastle United fan, my all-time hero is former footballer Alan Shearer.

He was involved in most of my happiest memories of watching football and was also a fantastic leader on the pitch.