Later life lending specialist Key Advice has appointed Rachel East (pictured) as its director of advice and adviser services.
East will manage all specialist equity release advisers and cover the Key and the Equity Release Expert advice brands.
Ian English, who has led the Key adviser’s teams for the past six years will step down at the end of August and move into a new role in the financial services sector in the new year.
The firm said that English had been “instrumental in supporting Key’s adviser growth between 2018 and 2022, as well as the adoption of new consumer duty principles and a new broader later life lending advice philosophy”.
“Key extends its gratitude to Ian for his contributions and leadership during his tenure,” the company said.
She has worked at Key for more than six years, initially joining as a head of advice sales for whole or market, before becoming divisional head of advice in 2019.
Prior to that, East was a regional mortgage director at RBS for nearly two years and branch director at Santander for nearly seven years.
Before that she was a branch manager at HFC Bank for over six years and account manager at AMP for more than two years.
Chris Bibby, managing director at Key Advice, said: “I am delighted that we can promote Rachel East into the role of director of advice and adviser services, managing our adviser team across all of our advice propositions.
“Rachel has the energy and skills to oversee a return to growth in specialist later life advice for Key as the market bounces back. With a sharp focus on the use of technology to rethink how we deliver and support the advice process going forward.”
East added: “I’m delighted to be leading Key’s Advice channel in the next stage of its development. I’m excited for the challenge ahead and the opportunity to work with and develop the teams, from our adviser services department through to our adviser workforce.
“The use of technology and embracing change will allow us to continue to support even more customers as we move through the remaining months of 2024 and into 2025. Key continues to be industry leading and over the last six years I have had the pleasure of working for this business, it remains focussed on creating great customer outcomes.”
Key Advice has rolled out Air’s platform across to all its advisers, offering access to fact-find and suitability report functions.
Anna is currently the deputy editor for Mortgage Solutions and editor for Specialist Lending Solutions. She has worked as a journalist since 2019, having secured her Gold Standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates in a fast-track six-month course.
She started her career as a report at specialist publication The Insurance Insider covering a wide range of areas before joining Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions in 2021.
In her role, she helps put together and structure the news agenda for the day and writes up press releases, reports, interviews, analyses and exclusives across both titles. She also commissions blogs for Specialist Lending Solutions and hosts online masterclasses and in-person events across the business.
She has been shortlisted for three journalism awards, which include BIBA Journalist and Media Awards Scoop of Year Award in 2020, Headline Money Mortgage Journalist of the Year Award (B2B) in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to being a journalist, Anna worked in ecommerce across Snow + Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need websites, and before that worked at specialist financial PR firm Rostrum.
In her spare time, Anna enjoys reading, seeing live music, and cooking for friends and family. When she gets a chance, she also enjoys hiking, skiing and indoor rock climbing.
