Gen H has announced the appointment of Karen Appleton as its new head of lending.

Appleton joins Gen H after nine years with Skipton Building Society. During Appleton’s tenure with Skipton, she brought the building society’s underwriting service levels down from 17 days to same day turnarounds. Appleton’s experience in automation and the implementation of data-driven processes will inform the development of Gen H’s proprietary application, underwriting and servicing tools.

Reporting to Pete Dockar, chief commercial officer at Gen H, Appleton will oversee the credit and lending function, bringing her extensive experience to further develop the lender’s first-time buyer focused mortgage propositions.

Dockar said: “We’re beyond excited to welcome Karen to Gen H. Karen has a demonstrable track record for truly innovative thinking, and her expertise is precisely what Gen H needs as we continue to grow, develop new propositions, and help more people find their place on the property ladder.”

Appleton added: “I’m delighted to be joining a team of people who are passionate about creating positive outcomes for real people and intent on transforming the housing market. Having come from a credit risk background, I have always embraced opportunities to collaborate with brokers and other partners across the industry so we can build a real-life lending culture that meets the needs of customers across the mortgage application value chain.

“I know that this passion of mine will be well placed with Gen H, and I’m very much looking forward to getting started.”