Just Mortgages has strengthened its successful employed division with the appointment of two new divisional sales directors (DSDs). 

Joining the Just Mortgages team is Paul Kirkup and Jonathan Gili-Ross, who combined bring more than 50 years of experience from across mortgages, estate agency and financial services. With Paul working in the Midlands and Jonathan in Middlesex, both join Duncan Jones in the Taurus chapter.

Paul is a seasoned professional, having spent more than 20 years in the mortgage value chain in both England and Australia. Before returning back to the UK, Paul spent 12 years with Westpac, an Australian multinational banking and financial services company.

Most recently he was head of national home lending, working with brokers, intermediaries and third parties to grow its business through estate agency channels. He led and supported a team of more than 180 people, focusing on policy, process design and execution, as well as sales and performance operating rhythms. Prior to this, Paul worked for Santander, Barclays and HFC Bank, which later became part of the HSBC group.

Jonathan is a self-professed ‘mortgage lifer’ having joined the industry over 20 years ago straight from school. During his career, he has worked for Loans.co.uk and spent 12 years with Connells Group, rising through the ranks to become regional director. During this time, he has been their top banking broker, sales manager and top regional and divisional director nationally. His team also included five of the company’s top 10 brokers. He later left Connells to start his very own brokerage.

Working alongside the financial services directors and wider senior management team, the new recruits will be responsible for growing the employed division and increasing adviser head count within their branches and teams. In addition to day-to-day support when needed, they will be focused on developing their team to deliver a better experience for clients, buyers and lenders.

 

John Phillips, CEO of Spicerhaart and Just Mortgages, said: “We are fully committed to making sure our brokers are in the best possible position to succeed. Key to this is strengthening the support around each broker with high-calibre hires such as Paul and Jonathan. With their broad expertise and experience, they will be a fantastic asset to our brokers, as well as great additions to our management team as the division continues to scale and move from strength to strength.”

 

Paul Kirkup said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Just Mortgages. My career in the UK and Australia has given me extensive experience in both the housing and mortgage markets. I’ll be putting that experience to good use, working with my growing team to ensure that we have the right skills and capabilities to deliver the best outcomes in the business for our customers and lenders. Estate agency has so much opportunity and I’m looking forward to welcoming more professionals into the great team we have here and continuing to grow momentum.”

 

Jonathan Gili-Ross added: “Having always admired Just Mortgages from afar, I’m really pleased to be a part of the team. I’ve always felt that to be a good manager you need to have enjoyed being a broker yourself. That’s certainly true for me and I have the same passion as the people I work with, sharing the wins and the frustrations. The estate agency business is growing and we want to keep that momentum going, making sure our team is in a winning position and that we find the right talent to help us maximise every opportunity across the region.”

 

The new hires extend Just Mortgages’ commitment to supporting its brokers and follows the internal promotion of successful broker and mortgage manager Tara Panayi to a DSD role. Across its two divisions, Just Mortgages continues to prioritise new appointments with real-world broker experience to increase the infrastructure around all of its brokers. This is true for the nearly 500 brokers in its self-employed division, as well as around 150 in its employed division.

Those interested in joining the Just Mortgages team can get in touch by visiting: https://www.justmortgages.co.uk/about-us/careers/

 

Paul Kirkup 

 

Jonathan Gili-Ross