FR: You stepped into your role earlier this year. What was your immediate focus?
I immersed myself in different parts of our business to gain a deeper understanding of the teams I’m now working alongside, gaining clarity about how they operate and what their key drivers are. I also needed to ensure that, as a senior leadership team, we aligned our individual plans to deliver against the Bank of Ireland for Intermediaries’ strategy, while also driving growth and continuous evolution of the bank’s offering to develop distribution even further than we have in recent years.
FR: Before joining Bank of Ireland, you held roles at a sourcing system and two large high-street mortgage lenders. How has that mix of experience influenced your approach to working with brokers?
I feel very fortunate to have had that professional background. It’s given me a broader view through the broker lens. Within the bank, it’s enabled me to support my teams, strengthen their technology knowledge, and better show them how brokers use digital tools. As a lender, we’ve been able to use that wider view to ensure we present our proposition accurately and effectively, and make brokers’ lives easier.
FR: You started your career as an adviser. How does that first-hand experience shape the way you think about product design and broker support?
Having that adviser lens gives me a better perspective on how any change or development will be received by the adviser community. Does it benefit them and the advice they provide? It’s not just the changes themselves, but also how they’re delivered. Are we communicating in clear, concise and relatable language to ultimately have a positive impact on them and their clients?
FR: From your conversations with advisers, what are the key stressors they have faced in 2026?
We’re working in a fast-paced environment, and the pressure on brokers to deliver professionally from the first interaction is greater than ever. The two pressure points we need to meet as a lender are clarity on what we do, or don’t do, and highlighting opportunities where we can explore a case further. Secondly, we have to offer brokers the best service through clear, timely communication to support their client discussions.
FR: How is your team supporting brokers to place more complex cases, particularly where income or affordability is not straightforward?
The simple answer is that we’re always here and ready to start a dialogue. Our business development team are exceptional in terms of the service and support they provide, reflected in their relationships with brokers and the awards they’ve won. There’s a wealth of experience across the team, both within the bank and across financial services, so they understand complex cases. The strength of the business development team’s relationships with underwriting means that if something new comes across, they will take it away to confirm our position. You’ll never get a “send it in and see” answer.
FR: Affordability remains a key challenge. What trends are you seeing in terms of how brokers are adapting?
Brokers are using third-party technology platforms far more frequently during the sourcing process. Whether it’s built into sourcing systems or an independent affordability tool, it’s important for lenders to have accurate calculators on their own websites, and for those results to be mirrored across third-party platforms to support broker recommendations.
FR: Are you seeing more cases where standard criteria does not fit, and how is that shaping lender strategy?
We’re seeing a real mix. We enhanced our proposition across our bespoke product range at the start of the year, which has naturally drawn in more non-standard cases. We’ve also strengthened our standard criteria and, with strong marketing support, this has brought us business we probably would not have been offered before. We’re continually reviewing our position and looking for further ways to support cases through both criteria and service enhancements.
FR: What does good leadership look like to you?
Providing a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Ensuring everyone understands the role they play is also crucial. You want colleagues to feel part of the wider effort, so they know how they are contributing to overall success.
You also need to lead from the front and encourage open, healthy dialogue. Challenge at all levels helps bring the team together and supports progress towards a common goal.
FR: What are your priorities for the rest of the year?
Continuing to develop our service and offering overall. We made strong progress at the start of the year and received excellent feedback, and we need to keep that momentum going. Some changes will be visible externally, like the extension of bespoke across the range, others will happen behind the scenes, but the benefits should be felt by brokers across the market.
