Network JLM Mortgage Services has announced the appointment of Daniel Leach as its new chief operating officer (COO).

He will be reporting to JLM’s directors, Rory Joseph and Seb Murphy, and will focus on driving growth in the business, including a central role on adviser recruitment.

He will also be focused on delivering in key technology-based areas building on the launch of Virtual Adviser – JLM’s robo mortgage advice proposition – and helping build a digital service, plus providing strategic oversight and ensuring excellence in customer servicing.

Leach (pictured) was most recently director of consultancy, Distinct Logic, providing strategy, compliance, operations and client engagement support to businesses from start-ups to FTSE 100 companies.

In this capacity he has worked with a number of financial services firms including Knight Frank Finance, Enness Group – where he was also COO, a board member and compliance director – and Octopus Investments.

Joseph said: “The appointment of such an experienced individual as Daniel to the new COO role reflects our strong ambitions and our focus on ensuring we grow and develop as a business. Daniel brings a wealth of experience to our operation from a range of positions in financial services and he is being charged with delivering in a number of key areas.

“Given the launch of Virtual Adviser we want to build on this proposition by enhancing our digital offering, whilst at the same time ensuring a high-quality advice service to all our clients. Daniel will also play a central role in recruiting advisers and espousing the many benefits we can offer brokers and AR firms.

“This is a very exciting appointment for JLM and is a signal of our intent and the growth we want to achieve in the months and years ahead. We’re very pleased to have Daniel as part of the JLM team and look forward to working with him to meet our vision for the business.”

Leach added: “I am extremely excited to be working with JLM as they continue to grow, especially following the launch of Virtual Adviser, a first for a network and one which demonstrates JLM’s ethos of delivering market-leading tools with a clear focus on the client.

“With evolving plans for further development, as well as attracting advisers or firms who are perhaps frustrated with their current arrangements and seeking a customer-focused yet commercially-minded home, this promises to be a challenging but very rewarding 2018.”