Together has appointed banking and commercial real estate specialist James Steadman as corporate sales director for the Midlands as the lender continues to expand its regional presence.
Steadman (pictured), who has nearly two decades of experience in financial services, will focus on growing Together’s presence across the Midlands, promoting the lender’s specialist finance products to clients and professional introducers.
Based in Birmingham, he will work alongside another regional sales director in the Midlands, with a focus on bridging loans, commercial mortgages and buy-to-let portfolio lending of up to £20 million.
Steadman joins Together from Lloyds, where he was associate director for real estate, arranging larger commercial property loans for clients across the Midlands.
He previously spent more than a decade with Santander following the restructuring of Bradford & Bingley during the financial crisis. He later joined Virgin Money before becoming a Midlands-based relationship director at Yorkshire Building Society, focusing on larger commercial real estate transactions.
Steadman says: “I came to Together as it is an established lender, which is well-known for its expertise in specialist property finance, with flexible products that can be arranged at speed.
“We know that entrepreneurial clients in the Midlands and across the UK are the bedrock of our economy but who need to be supported by lenders such as Together, which has the ambition to play its part in developing growth, as well as an appetite for taking on larger and more complex deals.
“In my new role, I will be nurturing and expending my vast network of contacts in the professional sector; including lawyers, surveyors, accountants, banks, debt advisors and commercial agents, who have clients to introduce to our business. It is a key part of the financial services market and will be able to turbo-charge growth in the Midlands.”
Together, which has a loan book of £8.4 billion, said Steadman will report to Mark Eastwood, the group’s director of corporate sales.
Eastwood adds: “James’s long-established background in banking and commercial property finance will be a massive benefit for Together as we continue to grow our corporate team across the UK regions.
“There is a huge demand in the Midlands for reliable lenders who can build strong relationships with introducers and clients. James has a proven track record.”
