Conveybuddy has appointed Chris Smith as regional director for London and the South East as the conveyancing distributor expands its adviser-facing team.
Smith (pictured) will be responsible for developing the firm’s relationships with mortgage advisers and advisory businesses across the region, as well as providing support to existing users of the conveybuddy platform.
He has previously worked in the intermediary mortgage market at Platform and The Co-operative Bank and has also worked alongside conveybuddy chief executive Harpal Singh at mortgage packager Optoma.
The appointment follows growth in the number of advisers using conveybuddy for conveyancing and survey instructions.
Smith will work with advisory firms across London and the South East, helping them assess the conveyancing options available for different types of cases and use the platform to monitor transactions after instruction.
His arrival also follows conveybuddy’s second anniversary. The business launched at the start of September 2024 and has since expanded its conveyancing panel, added survey instructions and introduced an all-inclusive remortgage proposition.
Conveybuddy said it has also increased the number of panel firms fully integrated with its technology.
The business provides a technology-enabled panel management service covering sales, purchases, remortgages and surveys, backed by more than 80 years’ combined conveyancing distribution experience.
Harpal Singh, chief executive at conveybuddy, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Chris to conveybuddy, particularly as I know first-hand the experience, skillset and knowledge he brings.
“Chris has spent a significant part of his career working with mortgage advisers and understands what they expect from the businesses they choose to work with.
“That experience will be hugely important as we continue increasing our presence across London and the South East and support more advisers who want to become involved in the conveyancing part of their clients’ transactions.
“We’ve grown significantly since launching conveybuddy two years ago, but one thing that has become increasingly clear during that time is that technology alone is never enough.
“Advisers still want access to experienced people who can help them understand which conveyancing firm might be right for a particular case, provide insight into current service levels and step in when additional support is required.
“Chris’s appointment strengthens that personal support alongside the technology and integrations we continue to develop, and gives firms across London and the South East another experienced point of contact within the conveybuddy team.”
Smith added: “I’m delighted to be joining conveybuddy at an exciting stage in its development and to have the opportunity to work with Harpal again.
“Having worked across the intermediary mortgage market for many years, I understand how important it is for advisers to work with businesses that can provide the right combination of technology, service and personal support.
“Conveyancing is an important part of the client’s experience, and advisers increasingly want to remain closer to that process rather than simply handing the client over and hoping everything progresses as expected.
“I’m looking forward to getting out and meeting firms across London and the South East, supporting existing conveybuddy users and introducing more firms to the platform.
“There is a real opportunity for advisers to provide their clients with greater support around conveyancing while also adding another valuable income stream to their businesses.”
