Top of the League
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Top Of The League - the competition that seeks to reward the best talent in the broker market - has returned for another season. Launched by Woolwich mortgages from Barclays in 2010, the aim is to offer intermediaries an opportunity to scoop fantastic prizes, such as the Barclays Premier League Player Of The Month trophy. But this season has an exciting twist. Working with Barclays and last season’s judges, who have signed on for another year, the competition will concentrate on networks and clubs. Each month we will focus on a different network or club and look for a Player Of The Month exclusively from that company.
Robert Sinclair, director, Association of Mortgage Intermediaries
A great opportunity to get recognition
Taking over as chairman of the judging panel of Barclays Top Of The League is a big job on a number of levels.
Filling the shoes of Jonathan Cornell is no small task, as he always brought a strong degree of independent thinking to the panel’s deliberations. I have no doubt he will take the same attitude to his work at the Financial Services Authority.
I share the view of many that he will bring excellent insight and judgement that will help bring an improved Mortgage Market Review further to life as a credible solution.
I am committed to continue the spirit he engendered among panel members. In my job at the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries I hear a lot about the challenges facing our sector and brokers in particular. A large part of my job is facing these issues and helping to resolve or eliminate them. One of the real joys over the last couple of years has been looking at the submissions for these Barclays awards.
They give an opportunity to those who might be less well known in the industry to be recognised. Whether it is exceptional sales performance, assisting teams or colleagues, or taking the time to help those less fortunate, I have seen some outstanding contributions.
These awards allow recognition of what is best about brokers. As a boy growing up in Scotland I was always moved by the all-embracing passion of the Welsh for their rugby. It was a desire to excel, but not at all costs - standards mattered.
It was hewn from the harshness of life in the valleys and a vision of something different and better. People who are passionate and who step outside the normal are what defines an industry.
Those who lead by example, whether it is for their customers or others, continue to raise standards and teach all of us that no matter what adversity we face that there is space to do more and to do the right thing.
In running these awards the teams at Barclays and Mortgage Strategy are doing their bit to tell some of these stories and hopefully to inspire the rest of us to raise our eyes a little and to dare to go further and do better.
I am looking forward to seeing the submissions during the rest of the season and helping the judging team - which will include a guest judge each month - recognise the achievements of an industry that has survived the worst downturn in centuries, with a spirit that really merits the stories being told.
David Finlay, Managing Director for mortgages, Barclays
Entrants’ dedication is awe inspiring
As we pass the mid-season point in the Barclays Premier League, excitement is mounting in the race for the title with Manchester’s teams dominating proceedings and an array of London clubs snapping at their heels.
January is also the mid-point in Woolwich’s Top Of The League season.
After a short mid-winter break - unlike the Premier League, despite calls from some national and club managers - I would like to remind the scouts in networks and clubs to renew their efforts in scouring the wealth of talent in their ranks.
Over the past four months we have seen four well-deserving winners from four networks - Sesame (September), Mortgage Intelligence/ Mortgage Next (October), Intrinsic (November) and Openwork (December).
Reading their accomplishments alongside those of other impressive short-listed entrants it is difficult not to feel some sense of awe for the endeavour, commitment and downright skill clearly exhibited from within the industry.
For the second half of the season, members of First Complete and Pink (February), Legal & General (March) and PMS (April) all get their chance to win the coveted trophy and of course get some deserved recognition from their peers and publicity in the pages of Mortgage Strategy.
Top Of The League was dreamt up to reward excellence and that’s what it continues to stand for. The cornerstone of this is that brokers are recognised not for their relationship with Woolwich, but for the difference they make to their clients, company and community by demonstrating their expertise in the four categories at the heart of Top Of The League.
- Company - helping to make your company profitable.
- Colleague - helping your colleagues to excel.
- Community - helping your local or intermediary community.
- Doing the best for clients.
Suffice to say that operating in the intermediary market over the past few years has made us all take a long hard look at ourselves, on both a personal and business level. Remaining firms and individuals have successfully diversified to emerge stronger and more innovative while still having a tangible effect on their local communities.
It’s important to continue highlighting such achievements so we look forward to poring over more success stories over the next four months and crowning a new batch of high achievers as Top of the League.
NAME: Ashley Felton
COMPANY: Spicerhaart Financial Services
JOB TITLE: Regional sales director
NETWORK: Sesame
NAME: Richard Alton
COMPANY: Alton Mortgages
JOB TITLE: Mortgage consultant
NETWORK: Mortgage Next
NAME: Peter Simpson
COMPANY: Mortgages Made Easy
JOB TITLE: Managing director
NETWORK: Intrinsic
NAME: Bobby Sherlock
COMPANY: Stan Sherlock Associates
JOB TITLE: Mortgage adviser
NETWORK: Openwork
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