"Lets face it, with the rate increases alone mortgage brokers have their work cut out. Many of the mortgage brokers that I work with are thriving but still feel the pressure."
FR: Tell us a bit about your role at Connect and the one thing you’d like brokers to know about your proposition.
My role at Connect is quite varied as we have a fairly unique proposition. We are a mortgage network but also a packager and large broker firm too. So the biggest part of my role is to oversee our appointed representatives. This includes conducting annual business reviews, supporting them with growth and development where needed, along with being a ‘go to’ for them with any questions that may come up.
I also host or attend most of the events that we take part in as a business, last year we launched our own roadshows for any broker in the industry called Connect4Tours, we have fantastic people putting these together and I have taken on the task of running them which has been great fun!
I am also always looking to recruit new ARs and we also work with lots of other brokers who use us for packaging or referrals. There are lots of different hats for me to wear which is great because it means every day is different.
The network side of the business in particular has grown significantly in the last two years. We have a great reputation and have more brokers contacting us to join Connect than ever before. Many of these brokers have been established for a while and either employed or an AR of a different network.
We pride ourselves on being a network that gives our advisers freedom of choice, we believe their business is theirs to run their way. We are there to offer support and guidance to help them grow along with making sure everything is compliant. It is no surprise that this year we have picked up the 'Best Network' award twice, at both the Financial Reporter Awards and the Mortgage Strategy Awards. This was a fantastic achievement and a true testament to the whole Connect team who have worked so hard to grow the Connect brand.
FR: You recently won a Financial Reporter Women’s Recognition Award – congratulations! Tell us about your career path, how it’s been for you as a woman in finance, and what women have inspired you along the way.
Thank you so much! There were some amazing women in my category and any one of us could have picked up that award, but I must say when I saw my name on the big screen it was one of the happiest moments in my career so far. I went to Milan the weekend after the awards and I certainly dragged out the celebrations!
I came into the specialist lending sector in 2013, coming up for 10 years now. Like many people I kind of 'fell into' this industry but it is one of the best things I ever did. I have had a great journey so far and have met some fantastic people along the way, some of whom are now good friends.
I am proud to be a woman in an industry that really recognises success in women and is working hard to push this subject, I know so many sectors now have a big focus on this. We have come a long way.
There are so many women who have inspired me in different ways over the past 10 years, far too many to mention. Some women who I have worked alongside, women who I know well, and other women through LinkedIn, who I don’t actually know but feel like I do because I have followed their journey, seen their ups and downs and I am supporting them from a distance. That’s the thing I love the most about social media, LinkedIn in particular, the ability to grow your network, and grow yourself as a person and a business woman by learning from others. My CEO at Connect, Liz Syms, is the first female CEO that I have ever worked under and it has made a difference to me. She has had an interesting journey to get to the success level that she is at today yet still makes time for everyone. I find her approach to business inspiring.
I love women who are 'women’s women' who support, lift each other up and want to see each other do well. Both Liz and our commercial director Kevin, who I report into, have been really supportive of my growth and progression. They are great leaders, there's no micro management, lots of trust and they empower us to make decisions. I feel lucky to work under their leadership.
FR: What advice would you give to women starting out in financial services today?
It all depends what you want from your career but if you want to progress you just have to put yourself out there and make it happen for yourself. Don’t wait for opportunities, find them, ask for them even. This is an ever changing industry so be flexible and adaptable to change.
There are so many great places to work in this industry, be in a role that you love and feel passionate about. Being happy, feeling valued and having job satisfaction is the most important factor for me.
Network! Say yes to as many things as you can, for me building relationships with so many people in our industry over the years has been a huge part of my success. I am in my current role because years ago I met my CEO at an awards night, we kept in touch and as a result when my position was available at Connect, after a couple of chats I was offered the position. This is very common in the specialist lending world. It is important to put yourself in the spotlight and show people what you can do. When I was a new business development manager at Fluent Money, new to the role, I used to turn up to events run by lenders and tout for second charge business under the radar! A bit cheeky but it worked and got me noticed.
I have a fantastic network of industry friends at all levels who I can confide in, get advice from and bounce ideas off and vice versa. Relationships like this are so valuable.
FR: What challenges and opportunities are there for mortgage brokers in the current lending climate?
Lets face it, with the rate increases alone mortgage brokers have their work cut out. Many of the mortgage brokers that I work with are thriving but still feel the pressure. Some advisers naturally have felt panicked and worried, particularly brokers who are new to the role.
Where advisers have seen a drop in enquiry levels, they could make sure they are offering as many services as possible, if an adviser is only conducting residential and buy-to-let business it will inevitably limit them, therefore they could look to write bridging, development and commercial business too if they don’t already. As well as this, perhaps focus on protection too, get into the habit of talking about it, educate their clients. Many brokers in the industry do not write protection business and this is something I always encourage.
They could use this quieter period, if they have one, to focus on their marketing strategy. What social media platforms should they use? What types of clients do they want to attract? What content should they put out there? They can also ask existing and past clients to write them reviews and promote this as a marketing tool. Using platforms like LinkedIn is great to see what other advisers and firms are doing to keep busy and ride this wave.
FR: It was recently World Mental Health Day – how do you maintain a work-life balance and look after your mental well-being?
Nothing out of the ordinary or spectacular to be honest. I am a bit of a workaholic and am guilty of working into the evenings after I have put my daughter to bed, but the saying is true -“find a job you love and you'll never work another day in your life”. I enjoy it so it's good for me.
The weekends, however, are for family time and are all about making memories. My husband and I work hard on ensuring that our daughters have the most magical and memorable childhood possible. I have always loved Christmas, even more now with a four year old, I love to see the world through her eyes.
I also always have at least one holiday booked at all times to look forward to. I have two at the moment, New York at Christmas and Ibiza next summer, I may throw in a city break somewhere in between too, I love to travel. I also go swimming before work on the days when this is possible.
On top of all this I have the most amazing group of friends who are very good for my health!
FR: If you could read one headline in the mortgage market in 2023, what would it be?
There are so many potential positive headlines that it’d be great to see, so lets keep the focus on my journey and say “Connect promotes Emma Roberts to relationship director off the back of record growth!”
