Legal & General has announced the appointment of Steve Ellis as managing director of Legal & General Home Finance.

He previously held the position of chief operating officer within the business.

It follows the recent announcement of Chris Knight as the managing director of Legal & General’s retail retirement division.

Ellis led the acquisition of Newlife for the Group in 2014. He has been with Legal & General since 2007 and has previously run a number of operational areas in corporate risk and annuities. Previously, he managed large scale operations for outsourcing organisations and was a management consultant for GE Capital businesses in the UK and US.

Knight said: “I’m pleased that Steve has accepted the role of managing director for our retirement lending business. Steve’s appointment brings important continuity to Legal & General Home Finance as the business enters its next phase of rapid innovation and growth.”

Ellis added: “I’m delighted to be continuing the journey with our retirement lending business. We have built a fantastic proposition and market share in the short time that we have been in the lifetime mortgage market.

“We have some exciting plans for 2017 which we expect to help the market continue its strong recent growth.”