Your winners open up about their journey to victory at the Financial Reporter Awards 2024, as well as life beyond the workplace.
The Financial Reporter Awards aim to celebrate the very best of the mortgage industry, and in 2024 we recognised some incredible firms and individuals from across our sector.
Now that our winners have been revealed and their contributions to the industry recognised, we wanted to get to know more about them as people, too. 
We spoke to some of our individual award winners about their journey to victory at FRA24 and life beyond the workplace.
From left to right:
Emma Barker, Together - Underwriter of the Year
Lea Karasavvas, Prolific Mortgage Finance - Adviser of the Year
Lee Williams, Saffron for Intermediaries - BDM of the Year
Tom White, Connect for Intermediaries - Rising Star
Tell us about your experience at the Financial Reporter Awards 2024.
Emma: Attending the awards was brilliant! It was such a great night, and an excellent opportunity to meet all the winners and build new connections.  I applied because someone nominated me - I have never found out who that was, but I am so grateful they did. 
Lea: This is possibly the first time I have been entered into the awards category as a broker, so I was totally surprised to make it to the final, let alone win it. It was a hugely humbling emotion to know that people took time out of their day to vote, and it meant a lot given how frantic the industry is at present in this current climate.
What really made the day was to see so many familiar faces at the event and to share that win with them was a great occasion. The application itself was a suggestion from others based on interactions on social media platforms with other brokers and lenders, but I did not expect it to go this far and certainly did not expect to win it up against such strong competition.
Lee: I had heard of the awards, and what really sealed it for me was the way that the awards are based on votes from brokers. To me, that’s the best possible measure of how I’m performing, so that’s what makes the Financial Reporter Awards special.  The application process was challenging but a great opportunity to reflect in a different way on what I have done in my role and how I support my broker partners.  
The number of people who came out and voted for me as a finalist was astonishing. I received an amazing response from right across the industry, beyond anything I have experienced before in my career.  Winning the award was a surprise to me as the finalist lineup was full of brilliant BDMs; when they said my name, I was in shock, but then I had a great evening with lots of great people within our industry.  
I was, and still am, beyond proud – although I love what I do, it took a lot of work to get here so it feels like a real badge of honour. 
Tom: My experience was fantastic. I was actually nominated by a colleague which led to me putting in an application. After being nominated I genuinely felt that was enough and I was so proud to just be a finalist, however as the day of the awards approached, I wanted to win more and more.
The feeling of winning was honestly incredible, I can only compare it to scoring a winning goal in a cup final, I was just on cloud nine - and not even the sore head the morning after could bring me down! The feeling of recognition in an industry as strong as ours is just amazing and I’m so glad I put in an application. 
How did you start working in this industry?
Emma: I started out in the industry at just 19. At the time, I had no idea what direction I wanted to go in in life - I knew I wanted a career, I just hadn’t found the right thing for me. I tried out a few jobs across a number of different types of businesses, which eventually led me to Together. 
I came for my interview here back in December 2001 and started the following month as an administration assistant. I love working at Together, the company is very family orientated and I knew straight away I had found my place. I soon learned that I had a real knack for lending, and so worked my way up the ranks to where I am now. 
Lea: I very much fell into it really. Having finished my degree back in the summer of ‘98, I felt the pressure to get a summer job quickly, and the nearest place to my home was Canada Life where a job came up in mortgage auditing. What started as a summer job resulted in a 25-year career that I have never looked back on.
The mortgage/property world had never been on my radar but once you are in it, you realise the impact you can have on people's lives, you realise how great the people within the industry are, and you realise the opportunities that are available within the sector - you are set for life.
Lee: I completed my work experience at a local Barclays branch. I knew I wanted to work in finance but at that time I was thinking about accountancy. The work experience highlighted to me how sociable the mortgage industry is when compared to accountancy – you get that satisfaction that comes from achieving something for a client because you’ve built a personal connection with them. 
Then, it was at Cheltenham & Gloucester where my passion for mortgages and finance really developed, working on the counter and supporting with mortgage processing. Since then, I’ve held a number of roles in financial services with very different companies, and it’s those different cultures and people who’ve influenced me that I believe have helped me to develop into who I am now. 
Tom: Completely by chance, I was working part time at Waitrose after I dropped out of college and was looking for full time employment when I stumbled across Dynamo, which was then ‘The Buy to Let Business’, and after an interview with Ying [Tan] I knew it was what I wanted to do, so I started an apprenticeship and never looked back. 
What moments in your career are you particularly proud of? 
Emma: Well, winning the FRA Underwriter of the Year has certainly been a highlight for me. This being a Broker’s Vote really emphasised the role I play within the industry.   
In all honesty, being able to play a part in helping Together grow over the last two decades has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. Seeing us navigate the various ups and downs of the market over the years and yet continue to thrive has been incredible.  
We’ve been around for 50 years now, and hopefully will carry on for another 50 to come. 
Lea: There are many moments I look back on with immense pride - from helping many first-time buyers take that first step on the property ladder to helping people unravel a particularly sticky situation with their mortgage. I take great pride in the business itself and Prolific my brokerage, which was founded in 2010, and how it has helped its clients navigate through covid as well as the credit crisis. 
I feel very proud of the team that we have assembled and how we look after all our clients, not just on a personal level but as a business as a whole. Everything has been based around understanding our clients, striving to achieve the best outcome for them and above all else, trying to do it with a smile on our faces and remove the stress from what is without doubt one of life’s most testing circumstances, a home move!
Lee: There are a number of moments I’m proud of, ranging from advising on my first mortgage, my first 5-star feedback, to being a successful broker and the management positions I have held.  
I found it really satisfying seeing how well the brokers I used to manage in their first mortgage adviser roles are doing now; leading and developing, making a really big contribution to the industry. Hopefully I’ve played a part in that. I also consider the relationships I have built as a BDM, so how far I’ve grown my network, to have been a real achievement. I’ve certainly tried to support the development of brokers’ businesses along the way - providing coaching and development to them and their advisers. 
And then more recently, just several weeks ago I started a new role at Saffron Building Society as National Sales Manager. This is something I am still to make a success of but I’m grabbing it with both hands.  
Tom: After my apprenticeship as a case administrator, I qualified as a trainee mortgage broker and went from ‘trainee’ to ‘experienced’ adviser in record time. 
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Emma: There are so many examples, but one that really sticks out to me is from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People - “Any fool can criticize complain and condemn – and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” 
This is a phrase that struck me, it’s such a simple concept, but extremely effective and something that I have really tried to take on board. 
Lea: Great question, but as I have received so much advice from so many people much better at this than me it’s hard to pinpoint one. 
I think the greatest piece of advice was to treat every client like they are your first (not your last). That first client is all about first impressions, proving your worth, building that relationship and most importantly of all, building that trust that you are the best at what you do and you will do your utmost when acting for them. That will inevitably result in referrals of business which are the lifeblood of this business. Treat every client like they are your first client.
Lee: There are two that come to mind. The first is, it’s important to be yourself and be the best version of you. You sometimes feel you want to be like someone else that you admire, but you still need to be your authentic self.  
The second is to understand your circle of influence. It is easy to overthink and stress about the things that you cannot control, so instead work out what you can influence, and that’s what you should put your energy into. 
Tom: In my very early broking days one of my managers said to me ‘you make your own luck’, and that stuck with me throughout my career and life - whether it be applying myself to my job, speaking with new brokers/lenders etc or in my personal life when I’m playing football on a weekend - I think that really rings true. 
If you had to switch careers for a week, what would you do and why?
Emma: If I could do anything for a week it would be a photographer, specifically landscape or street photography. I am part-time hobbyist, and I just love creating beautiful images that people can hang on their walls.
Lea: Simon Cowell would most probably be someone I would love to switch with. Possibly an answer I will never live down, but to be in a position to enjoy music, discover new talent, and change people’s lives, all while being hugely entertained... that sounds like a great week. 
I have always had a love for music from a very young age, and to be able to do something in that field would be amazing. When I grow up, I think that is what I would like to be! 
Lee: It would have to be a Formula 1 driver, but based on my go kart driving skills that would never be an option!
Tom: I’d love to be a pilot - something I’ve always liked the thought of!
What do you like to do to relax and wind down? 
Emma: I am a big fan of fishing. There is nothing more relaxing than taking a calm weekend by a lake to unwind. That said, the peace is a bit disrupted if you have to pull in a 40lb catfish!
Lea: First and foremost, time with my family. The job itself can be all consuming, especially with the tech on phones in today’s age, there is very little time to switch off. So, travelling with my family away from the phone and social media is extremely valued, especially as I am getting older and perhaps wiser I love time with the family and crave it more. Long coastal walks with the family and the dog are perhaps when I am at my most serene. 
I would throw golf in there, but my game is getting progressively worse and more often than not, I require time out to relax and unwind AFTER a round now, rather than using a round of golf to relax and unwind.
Lee: I spend as much time as possible with my family. My wife and two children are my ‘reason why’, and spending time with them is what it’s all about for me. I surprise people when I say that I had a better time at Butlins than on a trip to Italy, and that’s all down to the children having an amazing time. I do also like to watch AFC Bournemouth as much as possible, but I’ve got a few years to go before I can get away with it every week!
Tom: Honestly, I just love to get to the pub for a few beers on a Friday to have a social with mates - nothing complicated, just like to have good company in a nice setting!
Do you want to be a part of the Financial Reporter Awards in 2025? You can now register your interest here on our website! Just head to our home page and click the Register Your Interest button to fill out the form and let us know how you want to be involved.
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Date | : | 2nd September 2024 at 1:00pm |