Development finance lender Atelier has been awarded the ISO 9001 Quality Management certification.

Assessors from the British Standards Institution (BSI) who examined all aspects of Atelier’s operations praised its approach as “second to none.”

The ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised standard that requires an organisation to demonstrate consistent excellence in the way it operates, as well as a commitment to continual improvement.

BSI assessors conducted a detailed, two-stage examination of Atelier’s loan processes, its approach to customer satisfaction and the work environment of its staff. The assessment was the culmination of Atelier’s nine-month development and implementation programme.

The BSI report praised Atelier for its “preparation and considered approach” and concluded that the company had “successfully demonstrated that its management system provides a suitable level of effectiveness.”

The accolade comes after Atelier was confirmed in October as a Gold Leaf Member of the UK Green Building Council.

Smithi Sharma, ESG and assurance manager at Atelier, said: “Sustainability and good governance are baked into everything we do at Atelier. We expect high standards from the developers we partner with and are no less demanding on ourselves.

“We’re proud to have built a company that lives up to our motto of ‘better property finance, by design’. We’ve taken care to hire the best people and design robust processes that together enable us to offer borrowers finance that is perfectly tailored to their needs as well as a seamless origination and redemption process.

“ISO 9001 certification is a globally recognised gold standard in quality management, but it is a rarity in the development finance sector. We’re delighted that our hard work has been singled out for this honour and are committed to ongoing, independent assessment as we strive continuously to do things even better.”