He's been in the RAF and he's also been a holiday rep...

David Stiff, Senior Commercial Mortgage Manager at Aldermore, speaks to Katie-Jill Rowland...

1.How long have you been at Aldermore for and what did you do before?

I’ve been here since October 2007. Prior to that I was at Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and I was a lending manager.

2.What would you be doing if you weren’t working for Aldermore?

Well I actually started my career in the RAF so perhaps I’d still be there.

B&C: wow!, what leads a serviceman to a career in financial services?

I’m one of the few people in the RAF who was made redundant in 2006. I then spent a year as a holiday rep in Turkey but it was quite exhausting, I couldn’t have done it forever.

When I got back to the UK I was just looking for any type of job.  I applied for a couple of things and then I was hired by Norwich & Peterborough.

B&C: And what was life like as a serviceman?

Well, it was very exciting at times and also very interesting. I travelled to the Nevada desert, to Cyprus and I served during the first Gulf conflict.

3. What did you want to do when you were young?

I always wanted to be a pilot. My dad worked at Heathrow and he used to take me to look at the planes quite a lot. He also took me inside his work sometimes and I loved the environment.

4.How do you predict the financial industry will change in 2011?

There will be more competition and lenders will become more bullish. Consequently we, along with other lenders, will have to become more proactive and more responsive to market changes.

5.What is the best and worst thing about your job?

Well the best thing is the team. We all get on really well and we’ve known each other a long time so we work well together.

B&C: And the worst...?

Delivering bad news to customers. One particular example that I have to deal with a lot is telling people that their home is not worth as much as they expected. Some customers have quite unrealistic expectations about the value of their property and its a real blow for them to hear that their asset worth much less than they hoped.

6.Who do you fancy off the telly?

There are a lot of nice people on the TV but no-one that I could say I fancy.

7.What would you put in room 101 if you had the chance?

Either impoliteness or arrogance. There is no need for impoliteness in any setting.

8.If you could have a super power for a day what would it be?

I’d like to time travel and then my powers could last longer than a day.

B&C: And where would you travel to?

I’d like to travel back to the World War II, not to the front line but to the people in the towns and villages back home. It would be really interesting to see what my town was like back then.

9.What is your favourite film and book?

I’m an 80’s boy and I like all the films from the 80’s. Ghostbusters, Back to the future, all of those movies.

B&C: And your favourite book?

If I’m in an intellectual mood then it would have to be ‘A long walk to freedom’ by Nelson Mandela. But I also like Harry Potter and I read the books with my daughter.