Alan Cleary has been appointed as chair of Chetwood Financial’s Mortgage Advisory Board.

Cleary (pictured) was head of sales at BM Solutions and then director of Halifax Intermediaries, before becoming managing director position at Exact Mortgage Experts.

He co-founded Charter Court Financial Services in 2008, which combined with OneSavings Bank in 2019. Following the merger, Cleary became the leader of the group’s mortgage brands – Precise Mortgages, Kent Reliance for Intermediaries, and InterBay Commercial – until his retirement in 2021.

As well as its existing consumer savings products, Chetwood Financial is soon to launch ModaMortgages, a new specialist buy-to-let lender, and recently acquired buy-to-let mortgage provider CHL Mortgages for Intermediaries (CMI).

In his new role, Cleary will provide guidance on the commercial strategy for both ModaMortgages and CMI and will advise the company on how to grow each part of the business.

Cleary said: “I wasn’t intending to come out of retirement, but this looks like a special opportunity. I’m excited by the vision that the bank has for disrupting the market with ModaMortgages and CMI. Running multiple lenders under one roof is a challenge I’m very familiar with, and I can’t wait to get involved and offer my experience as we look to scale both propositions in the intermediary mortgage market.”

Andy Mielczarek, Chetwood Financial’s founder and CEO, added: “Alan Cleary is one of the biggest names in the specialist lending sector. His experience in leading and scaling mortgage lenders is second to none and we’re delighted to have him chairing our Mortgage Advisory Board – there’s absolutely no doubt that his strategic guidance will prove invaluable as we look to break new ground with ModaMortgages and CMI.”