Can you give us an overview of your career?

I started my career in financial services with Halifax, before moving to OneSavings Bank, where I was a national account manager on both the Kent Reliance and the Prestige Finance brands.

I have also held positions at Aldermore Mortgages, GE Money and Kensington. I then worked as corporate sales manager at Vida Homeloans for four years, before joining ULS Technology (now Smoove) as director of sales of the eConveyancer brand in April 2020.

It’s heartening to see a growing presence of women at industry events

This wealth of experience means I understand the service requirements of networks, clubs, packagers and mortgage brokers inside and out.

What does your role look like on a daily basis?

I’m pleased to say that no two days are ever the same.

This encompasses everything from hosting a sales-team meeting on Monday morning to internal meetings, team reviews, problem solving and structuring cases with the team, right through to liaising with our fabulous underwriters and intermediaries to explore more ways in which MFS can help.

I also work closely with my regional manager for London, head of national accounts, key account manager and senior business development executive to ensure that, as a team, we are taking advantage of every opportunity.

Having worked in conveyancing for three years, I believe a lot of change is needed in the homebuying process

A highlight of my day is speaking to our intermediaries and finding out how the market is changing with each passing day.

What has been the biggest challenge of your career, and a highlight?

I faced my biggest challenges at Kensington, purely due to the nature of the industry.

It was the first sub-prime lender in the UK, so there were a lot of doors closing during my time there. Intermediaries would advise that none of their clients had adverse situations, but they would then get back in touch a few days later saying that they did in fact need help with a particular client.

Gender equality is a critical way of driving innovation and progress within our industry

These were often complex cases, but I enjoyed being able to step in and assist whenever possible.

Joining MFS has been a real highlight. It’s been great to work with [chief mortgage officer] Mike Cook, and the business has fabulous growth plans. I’m delighted to be a part of that journey.

Is there anything you would change about the mortgage market?

Having worked in conveyancing for three years, I believe a lot of change is needed in the homebuying process. With that in mind, hats off to Kate Faulkner, Maria Harris and co for pushing this forward via the Home Buying & Selling Group. It was great to see them in action at the Levelling Up select committee meeting in mid-May.

A highlight of my day is speaking to our intermediaries and finding out how the market is changing with each passing day

On the mortgage front, we could do more to leverage the information gathered by brokers during the initial factfinding stage, such as identification and proof of residence. We can then ensure that this documentation is utilised by all parties involved in the process, to enhance efficiency.

However, I recognise that implementing such a system would likely require regulatory changes.

Do you feel the sector is close to achieving gender equality?

Lots of progress has been made in recent years, but there’s always space for improvement. It’s heartening to see a growing presence of women at industry events.

Gender equality is a critical way of driving innovation and progress within our industry, and I hope we can continue to foster inclusivity.

If you didn’t work in finance, what other career would interest you?

I would have loved to be an astronaut, but that was a tad unrealistic when I was growing up in the 1980s.

We could do more to leverage the information gathered by brokers during the initial factfinding stage

Surprisingly, or not for those who know me, I was going to be a secondary school teacher! I have kind of achieved that role as I am a qualified Irish dancing teacher, and I had my own dance school for several years. I have also been a school governor for 15 years.

What’s the best advice you have received?

From my mum, I learned the timeless advice: “Always wear clean, matching underwear — you never know what could happen!”

It’s a humorous reminder of the importance of being prepared for the unexpected.

This article featured in the June 2024 edition of Mortgage Strategy.

If you would like to subscribe to the monthly print or digital magazine, please click here.

The post One to One: Karen Rodrigues, head of sales, Market Financial Solutions appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

​