Skipton Building Society has appointed Andy Charalambous and James Duffy to its team of business development managers (BDMs) .

Charalambous has been in the property and finance industry for almost 20 years starting as an estate agent before going on to work as a broker for many well-known banks. He then started his own practice and worked in both the regulated and unregulated market as a BDM.

He said: “I’m excited to be a part of a lender who has embraced technology as the way forward to help make life easier for its brokers which will inevitably result with happy clients. To be a part of a lender which is disrupting the industry in the right way I’m proud to be a part of this journey, embracing change.”

Duffy previously worked in the electrical trade before switching careers to the intermediary sector in 2016.

He said: “I was attracted to the position at Skipton off the back of the amazing feedback I received from intermediaries during my time in other roles.

“I’ve wanted to help customers get into their homes due to my own personal journey. I’m from a working-class background and as the cost of living is increasing alongside property values, I believe Skipton has an incredibly strong proposition, providing the opportunity to help intermediaries and clients overcome these challenges.

“I’m really excited and incredibly proud to be joining Skipton as a field BDM. The Society has a reputation for providing an amazing service and strong, varied proposition in supporting an ever-changing and demanding market.”

John Scrivens, business development manager, added: “Andy and James join the team at an exciting time as we’re continuing to expand our team of BDM’s to support the intermediary market, as well as furthering Skipton’s ambition to become a top 10 lender.”