Stonebridge has announced the appointment of a new business development manager (BDM) focusing on providing business support to its appointment representative (AR) member firms.

Lewis MacLeod is a field-based BDM working closely with Stonebridge AR firms, and their advisers, in a range of disciplines including strategic planning, client bank management, sales development, lead generation, business referral opportunities, and recruitment.

Stonebridge’s latest appointment takes its business development team, which offers complete UK coverage, to 14.

MacLeod is CeMAP-qualified and has over 13 years’ experience working within the mortgage market, as a manager of advisers at Yorkshire Building Society, a mortgage adviser at L&C, and most recently as an area supervision manager at a mortgage network.

MacLeod will report to Natalia Kennewell, senior business development manager at the national mortgage and insurance network.

Rob Clifford, chief executive at Stonebridge, said: “We are always keen to add to our vastly-experienced team of field-based BDMs with quality appointments; people who know the market extremely well and, where possible, who have also been advisers so know acutely what they require and how they might take advantage of the opportunities available.

“In Lewis we have such a person, and we’ve very pleased to be able to add him to the BDM team. He will be out supporting our advisory firm members, ensuring they have all they need to run their businesses, and to make sure they are taking advantage of every single opportunity available to them via Stonebridge – of which there are many.

“We’ll continue to invest in our adviser-facing personnel at Stonebridge and seek to ensure our growing number of members have everything at their disposal to be successful.”

MacLeod added: “I’m very pleased to have joined Stonebridge as its newest BDM and am looking forward to working with our AR firms and their advisers, to support and help them make the most of everything we offer, which is a considerable proposition.

“Having been an adviser I’m acutely aware of what they require, what support they need, and how best to utilise it. I’ll be using my experience and skillset to support these businesses and helping them to meet their ongoing targets and ambitions, in what promises to be a very interesting year in the mortgage market.”