Fintech mortgage lender Gen H has appointed Tony Ward as chair of its board of directors, taking over from Will Rice.
Ward (pictured) took on the role in June after holding the position of non-executive director at Gen H for around three years.
He is currently the chairman of mortgage servicer BCMGlobal Mortgage Services and buy-to-let lender Landbay, roles he has held for around a decade. Ward has also been the chair of Home Funding for almost 19 years.
During his career he has held senior roles at Clayton Euro Risk, Bank Solutions, Britannic Money and Mortgage Trust.
The lender said the move would give Rice the “time to focus on the leadership and direction of the business”.
Period of growth
Gen H added that Ward has “extensive experience in mortgage and funding markets” and is “poised to guide the business through an exciting period of growth”, adding that it would strengthen its governance and offer support to guide the firm to profitability.
In May, the company had already surpassed the volume of new business received in 2023 and is preparing to launch “new first-time buyer-focused mortgage products” in the next few months.
Rice said: “I am delighted to announce Tony’s appointment as chair of the Gen H board of directors. we have witnessed significant growth this year and have big ambitions for the months that lie ahead, and Tony’s expertise will be invaluable as we scale and mature.”
Ward added: “I’ve been supporting Will and his team since inception and the company is now entering a new and exciting phase of growth, maturity and profitability. Gen H puts customer needs at the heart of its proposition providing innovative and much needed products through an advanced tech platform.”
Gen H has been improving its proposition, launching with Quilter earlier this month and widening its income booster eligibility in July.
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.
