Pepper Money has promoted Tom Whitney to the position of head of sales for second charge mortgages.

The move follows the integration of the business with Optimum Credit.

Whitney (pictured) joined Optimum Credit as a business development manager for the North of England and Scotland in May 2016, having previously held sales and operations roles at One Savings Bank and Freedom Finance.

In his new role, he will be leading the second charge mortgage sales team, helping the business to achieve its growth plans by developing and implementing sales strategies to support its core brokers.

Whitney said: “I’m extremely passionate about the second charge industry and the potential that lies ahead for Pepper Money. I feel privileged to be heading up the sales function and look forward to working with our network of brokers, developing the very best products and continuing to deliver the high level of service for which we are famous here at Pepper Money.”

Caroline Mirakian, sales director second charge mortgages at Pepper Money, added: “I’d like to congratulate Tom on his promotion to Head of Sales for second charge mortgages. Some of the things that have really impressed me are his tenacity in supporting our brokers, his commitment to overachievement and his ability to think outside the box.

“I am delighted that Tom has been recognised with this promotion and I look forward to working with him to deliver on our goals for our brokers.”