"A generation ready to make an impact": Our 30 Under 30 2026 alumni's take on today’s financial services industry
Financial Reporter 30 Under 30’s class of 2025 share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities that young people are currently facing in mortgages and financial services.
Working environment and pressures
In a post-pandemic world, hybrid and remote working have quickly become the norm for so many. However, it now appears that younger generations are missing in-person workplace connections - in August 2025, a Bupa survey revealed that 45% of Gen Z participants were searching for jobs with more social interaction.
This trend is particularly visible across the mortgage and specialist lending sectors, where early-career professionals traditionally learn through listening and shadowing. Recent research from the 2024 Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) found that 62% of financial services employees aged 21–30 feel that hybrid working has reduced their sense of belonging, a challenge that can be even more pronounced in roles where complex casework and compliance learning rely heavily on informal conversations in the office.
“I find it quite a lonely environment, even if you spend most of the day on the phone or communicating with others”, Richards says of the workplace, “nothing beats face to face human connection. Banter in the office or a catch-up in the canteen can make a real difference.”
Meanwhile, Mahendran highlights the importance of spaces to network, connect, and share ideas.
“Communities like Financial Reporter 30 Under 30 are valuable precisely because they offer connection and confidence at a time when both matter most,” she says.
According to the UK Finance’s 2025 Talent & Skills Outlook, 72% of employees under 30 in banking and mortgage advisory roles now prefer at least two in-office days a week, largely due to its access to informal learning and real-time case discussion. Many young mortgage advisers and lending specialists report that remote working can make it harder to build confidence with lender criteria or feel part of a broader professional community.
As employers continue to navigate flexible working models, a growing number are recognising that supporting the next generation goes beyond technology and policy. For young people entering the mortgage and specialist finance world, meaningful connection - whether in the office, through mentorship, or via industry communities - is becoming just as essential as technical training.
