United Trust Bank (UTB) Mortgages for Intermediaries has strengthened its sales team by promoting Rachel Shackleton to the role of business development manager, effective immediately.
The move is part of the bank’s ongoing efforts to nurture its distribution partnerships and comes on the heels of UTB announcing that its active mortgage loan book has surpassed £1bn for the first time.
Shackleton initially joined UTB’s marketing team in 2018 and transitioned to the bank’s mortgage division in 2020. Before her promotion, she served as a broker relationship manager, where she impressed colleagues with her ability to maintain strong relationships with intermediaries and create memorable customer experiences. In her new role, she will work closely with key account manager Stewart Green, focusing on the bank’s mortgage club and network distribution channels in the South of England.
Commenting on the promotion, Caroline Mirakian, sales and marketing director for mortgages, said: “Rachel’s appointment underlines the importance we place on our distribution partners and our aspirations for sustained growth. She has demonstrated a unique talent for relationship management and a strong desire to succeed, which will make her a valuable addition to our growing field team.”
Shackleton’s promotion is not the only change in UTB’s mortgages for intermediaries team. Jodie Roy, previously an operations manager at Metropolis Surveyors, has assumed Shackleton’s prior role as key account relationship manager. Roy brings extensive experience in working with second charge brokers and is expected to be an asset to the team.
Earlier this year, UTB enlisted Caroline Mirakian to lead its sales and marketing efforts in mortgages. Mirakian’s primary objective is to expand the bank’s distribution among mortgage clubs, networks, and packagers. UTB has been on a growth trajectory, predicting a 24% increase in new business this year, marking the third consecutive year of more than 20% growth.
Reacting to her new role, Shackleton said: “I am fortunate to have built strong relationships over the past two years and look forward to contributing further to the success of our broker partners and the bank.”
