1.   Congratulations on your new role. How has the first few weeks gone for you and what has it consisted of?

Very well. Meeting and getting to know the team and understanding everyone’s role in the organisation. Alongside reacquainting my business contacts in the industry of  where I am now and already looking at some business!

2.    Have you worked in bridging before? If so, whereabouts and how has the industry changed? If not, why the move?   

Yes at various organisations throughout my career and at my most recent employer. The concept of bridging has become more combined and intertwined with sometimes complicated and difficult development finance. Bridging in the past was simply Mum and Dad seeing a dream house that they want to buy quickly for various reasons such as downsizing and wanting to move closer to the grandchildren for example and or a chain breaking down where Mum was planning to be in her new house by Christmas. To do this they need to raise money very quickly via bridging on their existing to accomplish this. Things are a lot different now

3.    Tell us a little bit about your new role, and how you came to work at Capital Bridging.
   
The role is a combination of being Head of Specialist Lending and Risk to maximise and balance our margin against risk. Without going into detail – the position came about purely by fate.

4.    What challenges are you looking forward to tacking at Capital Bridging?

Helping to develop our brand and expanding our market share in the specialist lending arena

5.    What did you want to be when you were younger?

 A professional athlete

6.    If you weren’t working in financial services, what would you be doing?

Not sure after 30 years of being involved in the mortgage industry and financial services so really difficult to think of doing anything else.

7.    What would you put into Room 101 from within the bridging industry?

Poor lending practices and not treating customers fairly

8    What are your views on regulation and the imminent changes taking place in April?
  
Given the difficult financial times of the recent past we all need to realise that regulation is going to be more and more part of our business models and what, where and how we do it.  I am encouraged by Capital Bridging’s intentions to seek permissions to become a regulated lender believing that this will increase our options and reinforce our reputation as an ethical and prudent lender

9.    What does the future hold for Capital Bridging?

    The future is very bright with Capital Bridging as we make our mark in the specialist lending arena and I am looking forward to making a significant contribution to extending their product offering
 
10.    How do you spend your free time and weekends?

        Relaxing with the wife and close friends