Former Charcol managing director Okey has joined Abbey for Intermediaries in a newly-created position of director of mortgages and protection.
The appointment is aimed at further growing Abbey’s intermediary mortgage and protection business after its takeover by Spanish Bank Banco Santander in July 2004.
He will report to Ambrose McGinn. Okey said: “With n3 and n4 behind us this is the perfect opportunity to build on the success of the Abbey brand in mortgages and Scottish Provident’s in protection.
“The opportunity is even greater under Santander’s ownership. I am joining at a time when an international player, who is keen to invest and looking for growth, has confirmed Abbey as an independent business and a valuable competitor in the market. That’s the type of challenge that I was looking for after the sale of Charcol.”
Ambrose McGinn, director of Abbey for Intermediaries, said: “This is a superb addition to the Abbey for Intermediaries management team. “Ricky has been in the industry for over 15 years and has a demonstrable track record of building successful teams and growing businesses. His experience as an intermediary will also add a new dynamic to the senior team that can only benefit us and our customers.”
Rob Clifford, managing director of Mortgageforce, said: “Any organisation of such scale can always use someone with experience from the ‘other side of the fence’. Knowledge of the intermediary market should prove to be beneficial, especially to Abbey’s distribution channels.”
