Montello Bridging Finance recently hired Jaime Harris as its New Business Development Manager.
Jason McGee-Abe caught up with the lender’s new recruit to find out more about her new role and how Montello’s Luxembourg fund will be a game-changer…
B&C: Congratulations on your new role. How has the first weeks gone for you and what has it consisted of?
JH: Thank you – it has been a great step forward in my career. In at the deep end from the start, I attended the London Finance Professionals show on my 5th day in the job – it was a great experience for me and a great place to train on the job, the quality of the attending brokers was great and there was a real buzz which was great. Other than that, I have been dealing with introducers and clients on the phone and visiting a few old broker friends.
You’ve gradually moved more into the specialist finance arena and haven’t worked for a bridging lender before, why the move now?
For me, it is the last string to my bow so to speak. I have experienced the mainstream lending and underwriting, distributer and broker worlds, now I can use all of the skills I have learnt along the way to be successful in this one. I also feel that the bridging sector is constantly growing and evolving, allowing me to thrive in this market as it does so.
Tell us a little bit about your new role, and how you came to work at Montello Bridging Finance.
My role here at Montello is to work closely with introducers to form lucrative and valuable relationships to promote the easy and streamlined service Montello provides. Joining Montello was about steering my career in a different direction and working with a reputable company that will allow me to grow and be part of their long term plans, my role evolving along the way.
What challenges are you looking forward to tacking at Montello?
What I am most looking forward to is the diverse and interesting transactions I will be dealing with. Being able to talk a deal through and seeing it through to completion is an exciting prospect.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
A teacher – I am a real people person and love to talk (sometimes too much!).
If you weren’t working in financial services, what would you be doing?
I imagine I would be working with animals – I currently volunteer for a charity that walks dogs for elderly or poorly people. I would probably work for Crufts!
What would you put into Room 101 generally and within the bridging industry?
Rude people. A smile really doesn’t hurt sometimes! Within the industry, I would probably have to put the bad reputation bridging has into room 101. It isn’t just an expensive mortgage, it is a fast and reliable way of borrowing money and gets people out of some very awkward positions and can put borrowers in an even better one.
What are your views on regulation and the imminent changes taking place in April?
Luckily I don’t have to get involved too much in the hard stuff, but what I do know is there will be greater clarity for clients and intermediaries alike.
What does the future hold for Montello Bridging Finance, and can you touch on one particular plan at the moment?
There are a lot of exciting things that the guys have lined up for next year. The new Luxembourg fund will be a game changer – but I can’t say much about it yet!
How do you spend your free time and weekends?
I like to go for walks around London, mainly the North parts as there are some lovely green areas that take me back to my roots in Kent. I then tend to offset all of that good exercise by finding a pub and eating too much and drinking a lot of wine!
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