Today we're joined by head of mortgages, Charlotte Rafferty, from Albany park who entered the industry at the young age of 16. Working throughout her time at university, she now has over 10 years’ experience in financial services having held regulatory, risk and compliance, and mortgage advice roles.
At 16 Charlotte started a role as a customer advisor for a building society and continued to work there whilst at university. She was then offered a position as an assistant branch manager and trained to do her mortgage qualifications. Charlotte obtained a psychology degree and sees the benefit of having this qualification in her day-to-day working life, as she is able to really understand people and what motivates them.
At the age of 23, Charlotte was offered a promotion to branch manager and became the youngest branch manager within the business. She subsequently decided to do a secondment to the risk and compliance department, with an aim to develop her skill set. She felt that it would be beneficial to see other areas of the business, areas that sat outside of sales and distribution. Charlotte explained the value of sideways steps within a business, which allowed her to broaden her knowledge and make new contacts. She feels that every door that opens up offers a new learning experience, even if you realise that the role isn’t for you, the experience is invaluable.
It was after this secondment that Charlotte took a break, left the business, and went travelling for a year. After travelling, Charlotte started with advice business, Albany Park, as a mortgage quality assurance officer, and at the end of 2018 was promoted to become head of mortgages. Charlotte now manages a team of 18 advisers. Charlotte explains that consumers still need to be educated on mortgages and recognises the importance of protection in the mortgage sale.
Charlotte also shares her experiences and the challenges she faced as a young female in a male-dominated industry and how they’ve shaped how she acts today. She feels that being honest and respectful is key and recognises the importance of making your voice heard. “People have got their own opinions and their perceptions need to be changed. It is a whole cultural shift that needs to happen, and it isn't going to happen overnight, so have the confidence to stand up for yourself and put yourself out there”. Charlotte understands that it can be hard to do this, particularly for people who are newer to the industry, so seeking support from role models in the industry is very beneficial. For role models, she feels that “it's all about using your voice and supporting younger people that are coming through and being there as a mentor if they need some advice or a sounding board”.
Charlotte speaks about her balanced approach to recruitment and aims to build a diverse mix of men and women, and ages, within her team, allowing the transfer of different skills and ideas. Charlotte feels the financial services industry needs to do more to encourage diversity and in particular attract younger people from varying backgrounds. She believes that by partaking in career fairs and offering apprenticeships, companies will help to correct misconceptions about financial services.
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