National broker firm Just Mortgages has brought on Paul Kirkup and Jonathan Gili-Ross as divisional sales directors.
Kirkup will work in the Midlands and Gili-Ross will be in Middlesex and will join Duncan Jones in the Taurus Chapter of Just Mortgages.
Kirkup was most recently head of national home lending at Westpac and worked at the firm for around 12 years in various senior roles.
Before that, he was a regional manager at Santander. Prior to that, he worked at Barclays for around four years, most recently as regional business development manager (BDM).
Gili-Ross was most recently the owner of the Ramp Group for nearly two years, and before that, he was the regional director at Connells Group for around 13 years.
In their roles, they will grow the employed division and increase adviser headcount in their branches and teams. They will also focus on developing their teams to “deliver a better experience for clients, buyers and lenders”.
John Phillips, CEO of Spicerhaart and Just Mortgages, said: “We are fully committed to making sure our brokers are in the best possible position to succeed. Key to this is strengthening the support around each broker with high-calibre hires such as Paul and Jonathan.
“With their broad expertise and experience, they will be a fantastic asset to our brokers, as well as great additions to our management team as the division continues to scale and move from strength to strength.”
Kirkup said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Just Mortgages. My career in the UK and Australia has given me extensive experience in both the housing and mortgage markets. I’ll be putting that experience to good use, working with my growing team to ensure that we have the right skills and capabilities to deliver the best outcomes in the business for our customers and lenders.
“Estate agency has so much opportunity and I’m looking forward to welcoming more professionals into the great team we have here and continuing to grow momentum.”
Gili-Ross added: “Having always admired Just Mortgages from afar, I’m really pleased to be a part of the team. I’ve always felt that to be a good manager you need to have enjoyed being a broker yourself. That’s certainly true for me and I have the same passion as the people I work with, sharing the wins and the frustrations.
“The estate agency business is growing and we want to keep that momentum going, making sure our team is in a winning position and that we find the right talent to help us maximise every opportunity across the region.”
Just Mortgages recently promoted Tara Panayi to the role of divisional sales director.
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.
