National brokerage Just Mortgages has announced the appointment of Stephen Swyny to the role of area director for the Midlands.

Swyny (pictured) has over 35 years of experience across the industry and will be tasked with recruiting new self-employed brokers and developing the existing team. He will work closely with self-employed brokers in the region to develop their business plans, explore growth opportunities and support with their own recruitment, as well as connecting brokers with in-house training, marketing and compliance support.

He has held a number of high-level positions, senior roles and directorships across mortgages and financial services during his career. He was most recently head of sales, and later commercial director, for First 4 Bridging – which later became Envelop. In this role, He helped build a broker network from the ground up, recruiting 87 brokers by the end of the calendar year and reaching 100 in its first year of trading.

Prior to that, he was head of training and development at The Buy To Let Business, helping the firm reach 196 advisers through the creation of an accredited training centre.

Swyny said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Just Mortgages at an exciting time for the self-employed division and the wider business. Even at this early stage, it is clear that Just Mortgages places a high level of importance on the support offered to their self-employed brokers. Whether it’s sales and marketing, compliance or even mental health, the level of support rivals employed roles and is unlike anything else you see in the industry.

“The role provides a fantastic opportunity to use my expertise in not only finding new talent but helping existing self-employed brokers develop and reach their potential. I’m looking forward to working closely with the wider management team and our talented brokers across the region.

Ben Allkins, head of mortgages and protection at Just Mortgages, added: “Stephen has a proven track record of scaling businesses through finding talent and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed. This certainly mirrors our own ambitions at Just Mortgages, making Stephen a real asset as our self-employed division fast approaches 500 brokers.

“He will be a great addition to our talented management team, which boasts decades of expertise and real-world experience. As brokers navigate a turbulent market, it will be reassuring to know that on top of day-to-day support with sales, marketing and compliance, they have a full team that’s been in their shoes and is ready to help them take their own businesses to the next level.”