Together hires corporate sales director for the Midlands
Specialist lender Together has announced the appointment of banking and commercial real estate expert James Steadman as the business expands its regional presence.
James, who has nearly two decades’ experience in financial services, has been appointed corporate sales director for the Midlands.
In his new role at Together he will be responsible for growing the lender’s brand and promoting its award-winning specialist products to clients and professional introducers in the region.
James, who is from Birmingham, will work alongside another regional sales director in the Midlands, focusing on bridging loans, commercial mortgages and buy-to-let (BTL) portfolio lending of up to £20m.
He said: “I came to Together as it is an established lender, which is well-known for its expertise in specialist property finance, with flexible products that can be arranged at speed.
“We know that entrepreneurial clients in the Midlands and across the UK are the bedrock of our economy but who need to be supported by lenders such as Together, which has the ambition to play its part in developing growth, as well as an appetite for taking on larger and more complex deals.
“In my new role, I will be nurturing and expending my vast network of contacts in the professional sector; including lawyers, surveyors, accountants, banks, debt advisors and commercial agents, who have clients to introduce to our business. It is a key part of the financial services market and will be able to turbo-charge growth in the Midlands.”
James joins Together which has its headquarters in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, from Lloyds, where he was Associate Director for Real Estate with a role focused on arranging larger commercial property loans for clients in the Midlands the banking group.
He began his career as a mortgage adviser at the former Bradford & Bingley, staying with the building society as it restructured during the 2008 financial crisis, later being acquired by Santander.
After more than a decade at Santander, he joined Virgin Money, becoming a Midlands-based relationship director for Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) for more than four years, again focusing on commercial real estate finance, dealing with larger property transactions.
AT Together, which has a loan book of £8.4bn, James will report to Mark Eastwood, the group’s director of corporate sales.
Mark said: “James’s long-established background in banking and commercial property finance will be a massive benefit for Together as we continue to grow our corporate team across the UK regions.
“There is a huge demand in the Midlands for reliable lenders who can build strong relationships with introducers and clients. James has a proven track record of providing the finance needed by entrepreneurs to realise their property ambitions.”