Specialist lender Afin Bank has appointed Rebecca Lewis as its head of operations to oversee the customer-facing functions.
Lewis will also be responsible for Afin Bank’s lending operations and customer service, ahead of the lender launching products later this year.
Afin Bank received its banking licence Authorisation with Restrictions1 (AwR) last October and is backed by African reinsurer WAICA Re, which has committed £62m to setting up the bank.
It will offer residential and buy-to-let mortgages to UK customers, as well as borrowers in select African countries. It will also have a savings proposition.
Lewis has extensive experience in financial services, mostly in the building society sector. She most recently worked for Tipton and Coseley Building Society as its head of customer service for nearly four years, Skipton Building Society, where she was manager for nine months. Previously, she worked at Dudley Building Society as customer services manager for almost four years.
Afin Bank was set up to help underserved borrowers, such as the self-employed and high-net-worth, with a focus on Africans living in the UK who struggle to get mortgages from mainstream lenders.
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Lewis (pictured) said the chance to help “overlooked” borrowers was appealing.
She added: “We want to understand our customers and build relationships with them, it’s about us creating a bank that customers can trust. My past experience working in building societies has shown me how valuable supporting the communities around us can be.
“Customer feedback is important to understand the challenges they are facing, so that we can adapt our processes and products to their needs. Customer service isn’t just about being pleasant on the phone, it’s about finding ways that make managing your finances as straightforward and effortless as possible.”
Nicola Tunney, chief people and operating officer at Afin Bank, added: “At the heart of Afin Bank is a desire to help customers who have been let down by mainstream providers, so I really wanted somebody heading up our operations who was passionate about people – not just our customers, but the colleagues supporting them as well.
“Bec has all those qualities as well as huge amounts of experience on the frontline and in developing the systems we need to make our operations world class. I am delighted that she is part of the Afin Bank team.”
