Masthaven has appointed Sarah Phillips as underwriting manager for its secured loans business.

Phillips’s appointment is an internal promotion, having been the first underwriter employed when Masthaven Secured Loans (MSL) opened its doors in September 2012.

She has over 15 years experience in the secured loan market, originally joining the industry at Paragon in 1998. After four years she moved to London Personal Loans as an underwriter and team leader and then held the same role at White Label. Her last role before joining MSL was at Shawbrook as an internal sales executive.

Paul Brett, director of sales at mast haven Secured Loans, said that the appointment was the best decision for the business. He said: “Sarah has been with us since the start and has built up an excellent rapport with our introducers.

“Not only has she been very influential in building trust in the underwriting process, but also, because she has helped the company grow from the beginning, there is no one with a more rounded knowledge of the quality of business we are looking for and the first class service we aim to provide.”

Phillips added: “I am delighted to have been offered this new challenge. MSL has a particularly strong set of business ethics, which has made working here particularly satisfying.

“We know that our introducers are pleased with our offering and it is my job to ensure that the underwriting service they receive is consistent and robust as well as training and motivating the underwriting team.”