2019-07-02
Meet Rob Gill; Managing Director of Altura Mortgage Finance, an independent mortgage adviser in London. Rob tells us why he has a passion for the financial industry and why using SortRefer benefits him and his business.
Describe a typical day in your job role?
I start most days working from home and am often up answering emails and making calls to clients in Asia from 7 am, which suits me as I’ve always been more of a morning person. If I’m on the school run, I’ll stop to get the kids ready and take my eldest to school in Camden. Then I go to a nearby WeWork style office to carry on working by 9 am.
There’s a lot of admin to do as a mortgage broker, never mind setting up and running a regulated business, so I’m pretty disciplined about leaving the morning to that side of things with afternoons for meetings. From lunchtime, I’ll head into the City to my base there for meetings, or go to clients wherever they are. I try and squeeze in a couple of lunchtime visits to the gym a week too, very important to have that balance. I’m usually home by 7 for the kids' bath and bedtime.
Have you always wanted to work in the financial industry?
Economics became my favourite subject at school as soon as I started studying it at 14. I was also strong at maths so yes, other than wanting to be a detective when I was 7, finance was always an area I wanted to work in. I did, however, vow never to become a trader and yet at 26, that’s exactly what I did! I got out in my early 30s and within a couple of years did the thing I really wanted to do, set up my own business, which was of course in mortgage broking.
What questions do you mostly get asked when it comes to mortgages?
Can I get a mortgage and if so, how? Many of my clients do not have straightforward circumstances, so ‘how’ is often more important than ‘how much’. As any good broker will tell you it’s not all about rate.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Reading, films and theatre are all passions of mine, as are restaurants and cooking. I love to travel for both holidays and business. And, while I don’t often enjoy it these days, I’m a lifelong Arsenal fan and season ticket holder….
All of this revolves around the main use of my spare time, family and my two boys aged 8 and 3. I love doing things with my kids; weekends start with Rugby Tots and Swimming lessons from 9 am on Saturday.
What benefits does SortRefer give you and your business?
A far better service than free legals for remortgages, benefitting both Altura and our clients. Not only is the service so much better, but it’s also highly efficient to have all our cases and updates available on the SortRefer platform, rather than chasing several different solicitors by phone.
Describe your experience with SortRefer?
I was in charge of solicitor relationships at a previous firm and was well aware of the issues presented by lender free legals on remortgages. I knew I wanted a solution from reputable, high service firms where cashback would cover the cost of the remortgage conveyancing.
In 2016, I met Kevin Tunnicliffe at an industry event and realised he had the solution I was looking for. After a short pilot, I rolled SortRefer out across the firm. We immediately found it a significant improvement on free legals and never looked back.
What are your three rules to live by?
1) Work out what’s really important to you and make time for it. It almost certainly isn’t work or money.
2) Live and let live. I’m a proper liberal in that respect (and not just because I live in North London!)
3) Be nice. Firm, strong and confident. But nice.
Describe SortRefer in three words
Efficient, effective, essential.
