I cover Finance, Compliance, Governance, Technology, Human Resources and Operations. I have been in the mortgage sector since 2012.

What does your journey into the mortgage industry look like?

I read a tweet posted by Rob Jupp who, at that time, was known to me just through living in the same town of Brentwood, and obviously following local people. Rob posted about a Sales Consultant role and I said that if he ever had an admin job, to let me know. About two months later he did just that and after two interviews with Rob, and then Brad and Kit who are the other co-founders of Brightstar, I was given the job as the first Office Administrator.

What has been your best moment in the industry?

There is both a personal moment and a team moment for me. My best personal moment was collecting the British Mortgage Award for the first time in 2022 – it was a very special moment. It isn’t always the case that those in Operations roles win the business leader categories and so it was an honour for me to do so. The single stand out best team moment was in February 2020 – winning the Sunday Times Best Small Company to work for, and doing so with a record score in the awards history. Surrounded by colleagues and friends, that night was special in seeing how far the company had come and everything it had achieved.

What has been your worst moment in the industry?

The pandemic. Having to prepare alongside my management team and colleagues for all the eventualities that our business might face. Trying to support and reassure colleagues about the future, when we were facing so many unprecedented changes and Downing Street briefings. Reading, digesting and implementing strategies to support our business operations and preparing to return to a full office kept my mind busy for sure. The pandemic brought out the best in many people though, where we all pulled together in the worst moments.

What is your experience with D&I both personally and professionally?

I have spoken countless times now about the personal struggle I had through not seeing myself in this industry. As a young gay man, I wasn’t able to identify peers or other people like me to aspire to, people who had been on my journey. Being part of the LGBTQ community doesn’t come with an obvious physical identity people can see. That didn’t hold me back though, and in time I found people who I could look up to. The journey I have had within Brightstar has been filled with nothing but love and support. Most importantly, the business has backed me to speak my mind and get involved. The culture that Clare, our Group Director of People Development, has cultivated is one where people support each other, and that we as a business work to push the boundaries, break the established norms and promote a more diverse and inclusive industry – and has done so for many, many years!

What keeps you in this industry?

The people. The team that I work for, the team that I work with and the team that work for me. Our Brightstar Group family is full of talent and passion – seeing colleagues thrive and succeed everyday, achieve their life goals and get on in life, whilst also doing the same in my own life is wonderful. The friends and contacts that I have made will last a lifetime, and for that reason, this industry will be my work home for a good few years yet! I have plenty of goals to achieve in life, as my husband and I continue to build our life together, so there is no stopping me yet!

Do you have any advice?

Follow in the footsteps of the people who have gone before you, who have tried and tested different paths – but don’t be afraid to create your own path as well. Nothing ever improved because we did what everyone did before us, and that is the same for what is to come. My only advice is to turn any regret you have, or mistake you make, (because we will all have plenty of both in our lifetimes) into a positive learning experience. Take one thing away from each mistake to do better – in time, everything works out.

Do you have any advice for the industry as a whole?

There is plenty of competition within our industry and equally there is plenty of opportunity to work with, and not against, each other. We need to keep building and growing our businesses, and to do so whilst respecting others at all times. Equally, we have a long journey still to go where those who we support in finding financial solutions can look to our industry as one that represents them – where those giving the advice are from their backgrounds, upbringing and culture – so let’s keep the foot on the gas and do just that!