What’s your role at Allica and what does a typical day look like?
I'm a business development manager for commercial mortgages, covering the West Midlands area, anywhere from Coventry all the way down to the Black Country. My typical day varies quite a bit. I might start with a simple inquiry to gauge appetite, move through dealing with underwriting sanctions, and hopefully complete deals. It ranges from lots of phone calls and emails to different problem-solving situations happening at the same time.
What was your first job?
My first job was working in a post office run by my auntie. I dealt with people depositing money and cash into business accounts, which gave me experience and understanding in finance. That was the stepping stone that set me on my path to financial services, and now here I am in commercial mortgages.
How did you get into sales within banking?
I used to work in financial services for a high street lender. After I left, I tried getting into the motor industry but realized it wasn't for me, so I stepped back into banking and joined Allica in the credit operations team. I dealt with everything from deal approval through to drawdown, and really enjoyed it.
The natural progression into the business development manager role came through working closely with our Head of Sales. He became a mentor for me, and I got increasingly involved, jumping on calls with brokers and underwriting teams, seeing what that side of the business was about. When the opportunity came up, I decided to give it a go. I've been doing it for just over 12 months now, and I haven't looked back.
What's your favourite thing about the West Midlands area?
I'm a big foodie, so I love the food scene. There are some hot spots that are really brilliant.
What's the best bit of your role?
I'm big on people and just having a chat and seeing what we can do to help. I'm more focused on knowing the person rather than just the deal. When the client and broker have a good understanding of what they're trying to do and can portray their plans clearly, that gives us the best foundation to move forward. I love hearing people's different challenges and how they got to where they are. It builds a much more complete story.
What's your favourite thing about working with brokers?
No conversation is the same. Each broker has their own way of working, and I love seeing how they work with their clients and overcome problems. Everyone does it so differently, which helps me learn new things and implement them elsewhere. The different challenges and opinions from the brokers keep the role fresh and engaging.
What are you interested in outside of work?
I'm massively into food. I recently became a fan of wagamama, though my wife has had to put a limit on how often we go! I grew up vegetarian and stayed that way until about five or six years ago when I started eating more non-vegetarian food. My go-to dish is katsu udon with a bit of firecracker sauce on the side to give it a nice kick. I do also like bao buns, though my method is a bit unconventional. I get a plain bun from the kids menu and then add chicken separately to make my own sandwich. I know it looks odd, but it works for me.
Beyond food, I love cars – especially meets and shows. I love travelling, I've got a trip to Japan planned for later this year. I'm also into golf. I'm not the best, but I just love being out there. If any brokers want to play golf, hit me up – you won't have the best rounds, but you'll have a lot of fun, I guarantee that.
What's the best piece of career advice you've been given?
Before I stepped into the BDM role, my mentor told me: "If you don't try something you're scared of, you'll never know if it's worth it or not." I was always scared to step into sales because I didn't know if it would be for me. Since I've stepped into it, I haven't looked back.
What advice would you give to someone coming into sales or joining the company?
Step into your fears because if you don't try, you won't know whether it'll work. What's the worst thing that can happen?
What do you like about working at Allica?
This is the best place I've worked. And that's not just because of what we do, but because of the people. If you enjoy the people you work with, work doesn't feel like work.
If you have a passion for the industry and want to be somewhere good, surrounded by good people who will push you to do what you need to do and help you develop yourself, then there's real opportunity at Allica. I'm a prime example – I started in Credit Operations, moved into the central BDM role, and now I'm in the full BDM role. That progression shows what's available if you take the step and risk doing something that scares you.
What are you most excited for the rest of 2026?
I'm excited to get to know all my brokers in the West Midlands area. I want to make new relationships, meet new connections, and help them grow their businesses as they can hopefully help me grow mine. The fun part of the role is getting around, seeing everyone, meeting people who do phenomenal things in the industry and for their clients, and joining them on that journey.
