Just Mortgages, one of the UK’s largest mortgage brokerages, has announced the promotion of experienced compliance specialist Colin Robson to the role of senior regional quality manager.
The new role recognises Colin’s efforts during nearly six years with Just Mortgages, ensuring both advisers and their supervisors remain safe and successful. Working with another senior manager and two regional managers, Colin will now help oversee the compliance support offered to both the employed and self-employed divisions and their respective management teams.
He will also lead on regular compliance training across teams and divisions, and will work closely with the learning and development team. Colin brings more than 25 years of experience from across the mortgage market, including as an adviser himself.
Colin started as an underwriter, before gaining his adviser qualification and joining a brokerage specialising mainly in sub-prime lending. He moved to HSBC, before joining RBS and holding a number of key roles in adviser development and sales management. In 2019, Colin joined the compliance team at Just Mortgages.
Alongside regular and proactive training, the compliance team works with advisers to provide a range of resources – including anti-fraud checklists – as well as conducting spot checks, packaging checks and observations if required. The compliance team is made of up 16 members of staff, all with their own previous sales experience to help understand the pressures of being an adviser and dealing with clients.
Speaking on his new role, Colin Robson said: “It has been a brilliant six years so far with Just Mortgages, watching the business grow and working with the fantastic team. It’s really important that the compliance team should be approachable and supportive and I feel like we have been able to achieve this. Rather than an ‘us and them’ mentality like you’ll often find in other businesses, it really feels like we’re on the same team and we’re all in it together driving the business forward.
“This new role in the compliance team is an exciting next step which allows me to use my knowledge and skills even further to help support our people and the business as a whole. It’s important that any support is not just in the beginning or only in a crisis, but ongoing throughout their time with Just Mortgages. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”
Liz Yates, head of compliance at Just Mortgages, added: “It’s great to be able to recognise the fantastic talent we have and promote from within the compliance team. Colin is not just a superb and well liked member of the team, but he has great skills and a wealth of experience. Plus, he is tenacious and will not rest until he has helped the adviser get to the bottom of an issue.
“It means we can foster a culture of trust and support which is exactly the culture we want in our team and within Just Mortgages. A culture of fear or finger-pointing doesn’t do anybody any favours, especially the advisers. If compliance can be seen as part of the team rather than an addition or an outsider, then we’re doing our job well. Having the likes of Colin on our team certainly helps us achieve this.”
The compliance team at Just Mortgages supports more than 650 advisers across the country, working on either an employed or self-employed basis. Alongside day-to-day support with sales, marketing and compliance, brokers in both divisions are able to access ongoing training from Just Mortgages’ dedicated learning and development team.
