Tom Gill

Key Account Manager

If there’s one word to describe Tom, it’s prepared. All that’s required for these bios we put together is a phone call. But, Tom was at the ready early, headset on, awaiting a full-on Zoom meeting.

It’s this commitment, and readiness which keeps on bringing brokers back to Tom. The effort he puts into his cases is second to none.

Those Tom works with can expect deliverability prioritised above all else, along with a distinctive perspective. Unlike many of his fellow collegues, Tom’s journey into the MFS fold was particularly unique. In many ways, it was pure luck which led him to the specialist finance world.

“Honesty, deliverability, and effective communication is even more important in today’s market than it has ever been.”

Interview with Tom Gill, MFS’ Key Account Manager for the North

“I suppose accidentally really,” Tom answered, when asked about how he ended up in the bridging industry. “When I went to college my goal was to work with computers. So, I basically got a summer job while I was deciding where I wanted to go university wise. I ended up in a second charge secured loan brokerage.”

Tom had the typical work experience-experience. He oversaw making teas and sorting out the post. One day though, being the only one in the office, he felt he had to answer a phone which just wouldn’t stop ringing.

It was a broker who Tom had to guide through a case. Talk about a tense elevator pitch! “I was only like 18 at the time. But I’d sit there and read the brochures and the product guides. So I ran through what we could do”.

Tom’s boss at the time wasn’t very happy. Until he found out that he sold a deal!

Evidently, this unlikely success story proved to be a massive confidence booster… “My boss asked me where I saw myself in five year’s time. I said your seat looks pretty comfortable! He eventually took me on as an apprentice broker manager and I just fell in love with the industry from there.”

What do you enjoy about the specialist finance market?

Fast forward a few years, and Tom ended up here at MFS, covering the Northern property market. A lot has changed since that 18-year-old made an impromptu sale. So, what does Tom enjoy about working in the bespoke lending market now?

“The different deals in different days,” he said. “Not one deal’s the same as the next. It’s the challenge of the specialist market in terms of how to structure a deal, how to get creative with deals, looking at different ways we can support brokers rather than just providing a bog-standard option for every case we come across.” Tom adds: “I love the challenge. Saying to myself ‘ok, I’ve got this one, there’s going to be a quirk with it, we need to look at x to get it sorted’”.

Tom said he loves the bonding side of this business. It’s important to him to get to know those he works with, and build a relationship. Fortunately, when this is done correctly, deals become a lot easier to manage.

This evidenced by one of his more recent cases which could have been very difficult to see through to completion – if it weren’t for Tom’s reliability. The case involved an IVA, along with separate charges from other lenders. It was up to Tom to deliver bridging finance “just to clean it all up.”

Tom was commended for doing exactly what he said he was going to do from the outset.

“It’s great when you get that, you know. That broker will have more for us now, but it’s just about being honest. I think in today’s market, as long as we can be open, honest, and transparent, that’s what brokers will appreciate.”

What is it you offer to the brokers you work with?

Honesty, deliverability, and effective communication are the key driving principles for Tom. “I think this is even more important in today’s market than it has ever been. So, you always need to make sure you’re there to answer a call, if not you’re always just going to be calling people back.

“It’s about deliverability. What you say you can do, make sure you end up delivering. That’s why no matter who I’m communicating with, whether it’s a one-man-brokerage or a large packager, they’ll know I’ll deliver on what I say I can.

“Also, it’s having the honesty to say sometimes that it’s not a deal for us. Or, saying it’s not a deal for us, but pointing them in the right direction to where they may be able to find a solution.”

Do you think we need more of these qualities in the wider market?

Deliverability is proving a tall order in the current economy. Tom, along with everyone else, longs for wider clarity.

“I think everybody’s in the same situation at the moment where no one really knows what’s coming,” he said. “That’s the challenge, nobody really knows where we’re going from one month to the next. Although, things have settled from where things were say back in October 2022.

“For me, I’m just very meticulous in the way that I work, in terms of controlling the things we know are going to happen.”

As Tom pointed out, none of us have a magic wand that we can wave to get all the right answers for the months ahead. All we can do, is be on top of the elements that are within our control. “The only thing that we can control is the process – making sure we do what we can on the deliverability side, making sure we’re honest from day one in terms of what we can and can’t do.”

At MFS, this is made easier by the fact that we underwrite all our deals from day 1. You and your clients will never be hit by unexpected surprises, hidden costs, or random responses.

What do you do to get your mind off the state of the economy?

Thinking about the economy for too long isn’t very good for your health at the moment. What does Tom do to get away from it all?

“I’m golf obsessed.”

A not entirely unexpected response.

“I’m a Man City season ticket holder and have been for the last 20 years. Just anything sports related.

“As my wife would say, if it’s sport – it’s either on the TV, I’m doing it, or I’m watching it in person! I don’t have many, but golf, football, and my family are probably my three greatest passions.”

Throughout this interview, Tom’s wisdom and warmth proved obvious. There are few Account Managers out there who genuinely want the best for their clients in the way that Tom does. We encourage you to reach out and discover this for yourself, likely over a game of golf!