She will lead the transformation of mortgage processes across the banking group's brands
Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Natasha Sayce-Zelem (pictured left) as director of digital and business platform within its Homes business.
Sayce-Zelem joins from Amazon, where she spent four years as global head of partner engineering for Prime Video.
In her new position, she will oversee the digital transformation of mortgage processes across Lloyds’ brands, aiming to streamline the customer experience for home buyers, renovators, and those remortgaging. Sayce-Zelem will operate from Lloyds’ Leeds office at Wellington Place and report directly to group mortgage director Andrew Asaam.
The appointment comes as Lloyds recently reported a pre-tax profit of £6 billion for 2024, missing analysts’ expectations of £6.5 billion – marking a decline from the £7.5 billion profit posted the previous year.
With more than 18 years of experience in digital technology, Sayce-Zelem brings substantial expertise in leading technology-driven transformations. Her previous roles include over five years at Sky, where she was part of the senior leadership team that established Sky’s digital hub in Leeds, growing the team to 650 staff in just 18 months.
As head of technology, she managed Sky’s digital trading and customer service platforms. Earlier in her career, she worked at the BBC, where she led the digital overhaul of BBC Sport’s online platforms.
Sayce-Zelem is also recognised for her advocacy in the technology sector. She founded the award-winning initiative “Empowering Women with Tech”, which supports women and underrepresented groups in pursuing STEM careers through mentorship and industry events. She has been named among the “Top 50 most influential women in tech worldwide.”
Commenting on her appointment, Sayce-Zelem said she was delighted to be joining Lloyds Banking Group at such a pivotal point in its technology transformation journey.
“Anyone who has been through the process of buying a home knows how unwieldy and complicated it can feel, so to be leading a team dedicated to making that experience simple, straightforward and enjoyable, for millions of mortgage customers, is something I can’t wait to get started on,” she said.
The appointment at Lloyds follows a similar move by rival high street lender Barclays UK, which recently named Jatin Patel to its executive team to oversee the bank’s mortgages, savings, and insurance divisions.
Meanwhile, United Trust Bank (UTB) has also announced a key addition to its team, with the appointment of Andy Porter (pictured right) as senior director for business development.
Porter, who has 25 years of experience in real estate finance with firms such as RBS, Barclays, and Close Brothers, will focus on supporting housebuilders and developers in southern England. His work will involve helping clients secure funding for residential and mixed-use developments, including build-to-sell and build-to-rent projects.
Porter’s appointment follows the addition of Andy Thomson, who joined UTB as senior director for operational real estate. Thomson’s role initially focuses on providing financing to build-to-rent developers, with future plans to expand into adjacent sectors such as purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and co-living.
“I am excited to have joined the bank at this busy time as it continues to support SME housebuilders and targets further lending growth this year and in the future,” Porter said.
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