Darlington Building Society has announced that it has appointed Rebecca Russell as digital business development manager for Wales and the South West, strengthening its commitment to the intermediary sector.
Russell moved into the role at the start of January, reporting to head of intermediaries Chris Blewitt and working alongside James Travers, the society's first digital BDM.
Russell has worked for Darlington Building Society for just over 13 years, beginning her career with the mutual as a mortgage adviser before moving into a data-led role within the business development team last year on secondment.
In that role, she analysed market trends, broker enquiries and feedback, working closely with marketing and product teams to refine criteria and improve borrower outcomes. Her performance led to her promotion to digital BDM.
Darlington continues to invest in intermediary relationships, lending more than £240m gross in mortgages last financial year. The society has set out ambitious plans for further growth in the broker market, underpinned by its service and specialist lending. This includes foreign currency mortgages, limited company buy-to-let, self-build and lending to professionals such as foreign national healthcare contractors.
"This role for me is all about collaboration and partnerships built on trust, shared knowledge and open feedback," said Rebecca (pictured).
"Coming from a mortgage adviser role within Darlington, my principles very much lie with being accessible, supportive and working together on a solution-based approach with the client at the centre. This gives me a real opportunity to continue learning from the industry and getting to know the people behind the businesses, and I am very excited about the years ahead."
Chris Blewitt, head of intermediary at Darlington Building Society, explained the reasoning behind the appointment. "Due to the success of her secondment, but also her clear ability to build relationships and support brokers, it was felt Rebecca should be moved into a permanent role as a Digital BDM, building on the success of this role undertaken by James in the South East," he said.
"Geographically, we are underweight in terms of business from firms in Wales and the South West, so this felt like the right focus for this new role. Our aim is to significantly grow those relationships this year and beyond, while giving firms a dedicated point of contact and underlining our commitment to the intermediary sector."
