Just Mortgages has appointed Zarah Gulfraz as area director for the north.

Based in Manchester, Gulfraz (pictured) will be working closely with self-employed brokers across the region to develop their business plans, identify and explore growth opportunities and help scale up their businesses through recruitment.

She will work closely with brokers to access in-house training, compliance and marketing support, and will also utilise her skills and experience to scout and recruit new brokers to help grow the division.

Across nearly 15 years in the industry, Gulfraz has a history of recruiting and developing successful brokers. During her five-year tenure with Mojo Mortgages – progressing from adviser, to squad lead and then to sales manager – she helped scale the team from seven to 50 advisers.

Gulfraz joined the mortgage industry in 2010 with Britannia Building Society, which was later bought by The Co-operative Bank. Across her seven years, she gained experience as an adviser, but also in all business functions including mortgage servicing, underwriting, pre-application, post-submission and even the bereavement team. She later moved into specialist lending as an adviser with Aldermore, before joining Reeds Rains. Prior to joining Just Mortgages, Gulfraz was head of mortgage sales at Loans.co.uk.

She said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Just Mortgages and the self-employed team. I’ve always been hugely passionate about advice and using my skills to help brokers get to where they want to be. Alongside helping brokers to grow their businesses, a key focus will be recruitment – breaking down the barriers and any illusions around self-employed to show the many talented employed brokers how they can get what they want from their careers and grow a successful business.

“I’ve been blown away by the level of training and support Just Mortgages provides to its brokers. Everything has been top notch – including the adviser induction which I was able to join. It got me hyped up and buzzing to advise, let alone new brokers. It’s a great opportunity to add my skills and experience to this immense level of support and to work closely with talented brokers in the region.”

Ben Allkins, head of mortgages and protection at Just Mortgages, added: “Rather than hires that add unnecessary processes or red tape, we look for those that can add real value to our brokers. With her wealth of experience across the industry, Zarah is a fantastic example and will be a real resource for brokers in the region. As we look to offer our proven proposition to more brokers, her track record in recruitment and professional development will be hugely valuable too.

“We pride ourselves on the infrastructure we place around all our self-employed brokers, providing them with the launching pad to have successful careers and build fantastic businesses. Alongside day-to-day support with sales, training, marketing and compliance, this includes the decades of expertise and real-world experience of our management team. While brokers can dial into this as much or as little as they require, that safety net and support structure is always there.”