Just Mortgages has strengthened its self-employed management team in the north with the appointment of Claire Jopson as area director.
Based in Selby, near York, Claire will be supporting and mentoring self-employed advisers across Yorkshire, the North East and the wider region, helping them to grow successful and sustainable businesses. Alongside day-to-day support, Claire will use her nearly two decades of experience in financial services to help firms at every stage explore growth opportunities, while also focusing on recruitment and expanding the region.
Following early roles with NatWest and First Direct, Claire moved to Accord Mortgages where she became a senior mortgage underwriter. Following a secondment working with a group of mortgage advisers, Claire made her own move into mortgage advice with Yorkshire Building Society. She would later join Echo Finance, first as a self-employed adviser, before becoming team manager and finally head of adviser development. She joins Just Mortgages from Mortgage 1st where she was adviser relationship and development manager, recruiting, onboarding and supporting advisers, as well as managing all lender relationships.
This latest appointment strengthens the self-employed management team at Just Mortgages and brings further self-employed expertise and experience in adviser development and support. With advisers based across the UK, the management team supports nearly 500 self-employed advisers.
Claire Jopson said: “Having been a self-employed broker myself, I understand just how important it is to have the right support behind you. Just Mortgages really recognises this too and has put so much in place to allow advisers to live their dream of running their own business. Even at this early stage, it’s clear to see that everything Just Mortgages shouts about in terms of opportunity, support and adviser development is absolutely true.
“This is a great opportunity for me to use my skills and experience to help adviser firms reach that next level – whether it’s those just starting out, or those who are already successful and looking to tweak what they do to be the best they can be. I’m really excited about this new opportunity and I look forward to supporting the growth of this fantastic region and division.”
Ben Allkins, head of mortgages and protection at Just Mortgages, adds: “Claire is a superb addition to our self-employed management team. Her vast experience as a underwriter, single-tie broker, self-employed adviser and a development manager means she can offer tremendous value to brokers at every stage of the self-employed lifecycle. Our advisers can trust in the fact that the managers they work with have stood in their shoes. It forms a crucial part of the wider infrastructure we place around all our advisers to help them succeed.
“We firmly believe that this support structure is a key reason why we continue to see high levels of applications to join our division and why we are approaching nearly 500 self-employed advisers. it should certainly be a key consideration for any adviser looking to launch and scale their own advice business – determining which brokerages or networks talk about support and which ones actually deliver on it.”
The proposition offered by Just Mortgages proves popular with brokers looking for the freedom of self-employment, all while still accessing ongoing help and support. In addition to day-to-day support with sales, marketing and compliance, advisers gain access to ongoing training and mentoring, with dedicated support and incentives for those making the leap for the first time.
Established advisers can access additional licence qualifications through Just Mortgages, as well its business principals programme. This provides ambitious advisers with the relevant training to not only build out their own teams, but to improve their leadership and management skills. The brokerage even offers dedicated recruitment support at no extra cost to principal firms.
