10 Questions with… Mark Posniak, Head of Marketing and Operations at Drawbridge Finance:
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So Mark, you’ve been knocking around for a while now, how did you first get into the bridging finance sector?
I was in a senior sales role at a specialist employment law & health and safety firm, and before that I worked in new ventures at BT, when I was approached by the guys at [short term lender] Cheval. I joined them, taking on the marketing side of the business, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.
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What was your first job?
I was a customer services advisor for a mobile phone company in Australia when I was 18 – and I hated it. I moved to Australia to play cricket, and was a semi professional batsman and wicket keeper, but was never good enough to make it a full time career.
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What’s your favourite thing about working at Drawbridge?
It’s a really dynamic organisation and I’m part of a very driven team made up of like-minded guys. We’re all hard working, ambitious and we like to win.
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…And a drawback to it?
The commute. I live in Finchley and travelling into the City as a sardine on the Tube is not a great way to start the day. However, I’ve just bought a bike and have great intentions to cycle in each morning…
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What has been the highlight of your career so far?
It would probably be my time at Cheval. We turned a well-known lender into a market leader and I have big aspirations to do something similar, if not better, here at Drawbridge. I still see the guys at Cheval, we play poker every once in a while. It’s nice to take their money! [If anyone at Cheval wants to dispute this, call me – Ed]
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…And your most embarrassing career moment?
I don’t really embarrass easily. I have thick skin. I’m sure I’ve done things that I regret, made bad decisions and spilt coffee down myself during business meetings but I try not to get embarrassed.
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If you weren’t working at Drawbridge, what would you be doing?
I’d love to work at Google. They’re innovators and I like to make a difference, plus they seem to have a pretty comfortable working life, I like that their office is full of white boards in case they suddenly have an idea and want to write it down. I’ve also heard the canteen is world class...not like me to be thinking of food!
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Does Drawbridge have any big surprises in store for the year ahead?
Watch this space! We’re developing a number of products as we speak. They will all still focus on property but we’re planning to get as innovative as we can. The days of the one-size-fits-all bridging product are over.
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How do you spend your free time?
With my wife and little boy, or playing golf. I don’t get to play much cricket these days but I do have a couple of 20/20 matches this year, so I’ll be getting back into the swing of it.
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And finally, what’s something that others would be surprised to find out about you?
[Long pause] I can’t believe I’m telling you this, I can’t believe I’m going to let you write this, but… I’m a big fan of girly movies, chick flicks, whatever you want to call them. My wife makes me watch them all the time and I always pretend that I don’t want to, but secretly I really quite like them...
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