…before 7.00am. I’m naturally an early  riser and both my boys share this trait, so an alarm isn’t needed these days – unless I’m on the early train to London or have a particularly long journey that day.

I can’t leave the house without…

…coffee and breakfast. I know not everyone takes breakfast these days, but if I skip it I’m ravenous by 9.00am. I put it down to my fast metabolism, although that has started to slow since I passed 40…

I travel to work…

…in about a 25-minute commute to head office. However, with the nature of the role, I regularly have to work remotely, supporting our BDMs or key partners or attending varied industry events (obviously pre-Covid-19 lockdown measures).

More recently, as a result of the lockdown, I’ve been dividing my time between head office and home. There are still so many ways you can stay connected with brokers, BDMs and other work colleagues, and I think lenders and brokers have already adapted to this new way of working.

The main purpose of my job is… 

…to promote our mortgage products, and more importantly our criteria offering across the intermediary sector. As a small society, we can often be overlooked in such a competitive marketplace, but we have a great proposition – particularly for those niche clients that are frequently underserved by the more mainstream, prime lenders.

I joined Tipton and Coseley…

…in July 1994, as an 18-year-old branch office assistant. So much has changed over the years and it’s certainly been more challenging post-financial crisis, but at The Tipton it’s the past few years that have been the most exciting.

I’m passionate about our sector, as you would expect after 25 years. I strongly believe building societies must evolve to remain relevant to the next generation, and that’s exactly what we have been doing, and continue to do. We only recently enhanced our later-life lending proposition, one of several positive criteria changes announced during the current Covid-19 crisis. We will shortly be improving our online experience for brokers with the introduction of our new broker portal.

My typical day… 

…is non-existent. I can be pretty much anywhere: meeting and engaging with brokers one day – either on my own or supporting our BDM team – then at head office the next day working with our direct mortgage advisers and business retention team, or discussing new business opportunities with our director of sales, Cammy Amaira, or the wider senior leadership team.

People may not know that I am responsible for…

…three business functions: the intermediary channel, our direct advice channel and our business retention process.

A common misconception about my job is…

…that a role in financial services, or more specifically mortgages, is boring. While I’m not pretending it’s glamorous, we help people realise the dream of owning their own home, something I have always found extremely rewarding.

My favourite work memory is…

…meeting my wife Natalie, who I met at The Tipton some 20 years ago – just in case the article gets shared with her by one of my industry “friends”.

A perk of the job is…

…meeting and engaging with so many interesting and varied individuals, who, with few exceptions, are always willing and happy to share their knowledge and experience with you. This is hugely significant and appreciated in my role as head of sales.

To unwind after work I like to… 

…get outdoors for some exercise if time allows, or just go and meet up with my boys at their various after-school activities – currently football, taekwondo and swimming.

My role in five words is…

…rewarding, challenging, frustrating, enjoyable and varied.