Just Mortgages has appointed Claire Jopson as area director within its self-employed division, with responsibility for supporting advisers across Yorkshire, the North East and the wider northern region.
Based in Selby, Jopson (pictured) will focus on mentoring and supporting self-employed advisers, helping firms grow their businesses while also driving recruitment and expansion across the region.
The appointment further strengthens the self-employed management team at Just Mortgages, which supports almost 500 advisers operating across the UK.
Jopson brings nearly two decades of experience in financial services. She began her career with NatWest and First Direct before joining Accord Mortgages as a senior mortgage underwriter.
After a secondment working alongside mortgage advisers, she moved into advice with Yorkshire Building Society before joining Echo Finance, where she worked as a self-employed adviser, team manager and later head of adviser development.
Most recently, Jopson served as adviser relationship and development manager at Mortgage 1st, where she was responsible for recruiting, onboarding and supporting advisers, as well as managing lender relationships.
Jopson said: “Having been a self-employed broker myself, I understand just how important it is to have the right support behind you. Just Mortgages really recognises this too and has put so much in place to allow advisers to live their dream of running their own business.
“Even at this early stage, it’s clear to see that everything Just Mortgages shouts about in terms of opportunity, support and adviser development is absolutely true.
“This is a great opportunity for me to use my skills and experience to help adviser firms reach that next level – whether it’s those just starting out, or those who are already successful and looking to tweak what they do to be the best they can be.
“I’m really excited about this new opportunity and I look forward to supporting the growth of this fantastic region and division.”
Ben Allkins, head of mortgages and protection at Just Mortgages, added: “Claire is a superb addition to our self-employed management team. Her vast experience as a underwriter, single-tie broker, self-employed adviser and a development manager means she can offer tremendous value to brokers at every stage of the self-employed lifecycle.
“Our advisers can trust in the fact that the managers they work with have stood in their shoes. It forms a crucial part of the wider infrastructure we place around all our advisers to help them succeed.
“We firmly believe that this support structure is a key reason why we continue to see high levels of applications to join our division and why we are approaching nearly 500 self-employed advisers.
“it should certainly be a key consideration for any adviser looking to launch and scale their own advice business – determining which brokerages or networks talk about support and which ones actually deliver on it.”
Just Mortgages said its self-employed proposition continues to attract advisers seeking greater independence while retaining access to operational support, training and mentoring.
The brokerage offers assistance across sales, marketing and compliance, alongside programmes aimed at helping advisers develop leadership skills and build their own teams. Principal firms can also access recruitment support through the business.
