Lloyds Banking Group has hired former senior Amazon tech expert Natasha Sayce-Zelem to rethink and digitise the mortgage process across the group’s brands and channels.
Her objective will be to improve the customer experience, whether they are buying, improving, or remortgaging their home.
Sayce-Zelem (pictured) joins the group from Amazon, where she has served as the global head of partner engineering for Prime Video for the past four years.
Before joining Amazon, Sayce-Zelem spent over five years at Sky, where she was part of the senior leadership team that set up Sky’s digital hub in Leeds, building a team of 650 staff within 18 months. As the head of technology, she oversaw the company’s digital trading and customer service platforms, driving a digital transformation that enabled Sky’s customers across EMEA to self-serve online.
She also spent time at the BBC, where she managed the digital transformation of BBC Sport’s online platforms.
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Technology trailblazer
Recognised as a prominent role model in the technology sector, Sayce-Zelem has been named among the ‘Top 50 most influential women in tech worldwide’. She is the founder of the award-winning initiative Empowering Women with Tech, which supports women and underrepresented groups to get into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through mentorship and high-profile events.
Sayce-Zelem’s appointment follows the government’s announcement earlier this month to improve the home buying and selling process by digitising more of the journey, which will include sharing property data between professionals and plans for introducing digital identity services.
She said: “I am 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.”
Andrew Asaam, mortgage director at Lloyds Banking Group, added: “As one of the leading figures in the field of enhancing and innovating the customer digital experience, we are thrilled to welcome Natasha to Lloyds Banking Group. We are on an exciting journey of transformation, and her knowledge, vision and leadership will be key to the success of our commitment to delivering great experiences that deliver for our customers and continuing to stand out in the market.”
Sayce-Zelem will be based in the group’s Wellington Place offices in Leeds, reporting to group mortgage director Andrew Asaam.
