NRG Insights

In this episode of NRG Insights: Rising Stars 2026, Marcus sits down with Peter Maina, Business Development Manager at MS Lending. Peter's route into financial services wasn't planned. What started with a chance conversation led him into mortgages, before progressing through broking and eventually into specialist lending. Throughout the conversation, Peter reflects on the importance of r...

In this episode of NRG Insights: Rising Stars 2026, Marcus sits down with Harry Pleasance, Business Development Manager at Glenhawk. Harry has spent more than a decade in financial services, building experience across retail banking, investment platforms, later life lending, residential mortgages, buy-to-let, commercial finance and bridging. That broad background has shaped how he approaches busin...

People build careers in finance in very different ways. Some start in sales. Some come through lending. Some build businesses. Others progress through leadership roles over time. But despite those different paths, certain pieces of advice seem to come up again and again. In this episode, we bring together highlights from previous NRG Insights conversations with Adam Butler, Paula Mercer, Andy Alva...

In this episode of NRG Insights , Marcus is joined by  Adam Tauber , Head of Sales at Phoenix205 Money. With more than two decades of experience across sales, broking and specialist finance, Adam shares the journey that took him from early sales roles into senior leadership within the lending industry. The conversation looks at how sales skills translate into finance, what separates strong sales l...

In this special short-form episode of NRG Insights Rising Stars 2026 , we bring together highlights from our first four guests:  Calypso Cox   Jack Cope   Francesca Starkey   Razvana Horton  Four honest perspectives on what helps younger professionals progress early in their careers. Across just seven minutes, this episode pulls together some of the biggest themes that have come up throughout the...

In this episode of NRG Insights: Rising Stars 2026, Marcus sits down with Calypso Cox from Stamford Finance. Calypso’s route into finance wasn’t planned in the traditional sense. With a background in English Literature and Art History, she found herself entering the industry through a marketing internship before moving into a role that combined marketing, relationship management and business devel...

In this episode of NRG Insights: Rising Stars 2026, Marcus sits down with Razvana Horton, Business Development Manager at Hampshire Trust Bank. Razvana didn’t start in finance. Her early career was in property, working across off-plan sales in both UK and international markets. When the market shifted during the pandemic, she had to adapt quickly, moving her focus towards income-generating propert...

In this episode of NRG Insights: Rising Stars 2026, Marcus sits down with Francesca Starkey, Business Development Manager at Project & Co. Francesca’s route into the industry wasn’t straightforward. After facing two redundancies in 2024, she found herself reassessing what came next and applying for new opportunities without a fixed plan. That next step led her into specialist finance and into...

In the first episode of our Rising Stars series 2026, Marcus sits down with Jack Cope, Head of Mortgages at Bridgemore Capital. Jack’s career didn’t follow a straight, planned path. Like a lot of people in finance, he found his way into the industry, learned on the job, and took opportunities as they came. What’s made the difference is how he approached those opportunities. From starting out in cu...

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus sits down with Kallie Henson, Senior Consultant at NRG Recruitment, to talk about how hiring in financial services has changed over the past 12–18 months. There are still roles being filled. There are still good candidates in the market. But the way hiring decisions are being made has shifted. Processes are more considered. Expectations are higher on both si...

In this episode of NRG Insights, we bring together perspectives from Kunal Mehta, Ashley Ilsen and Duncan Kreeger to look at what’s actually driving deals and long-term success in financial services. With more technology, more automation and more tools than ever, it’s easy to assume the industry is moving away from people. But in reality, the opposite seems to be happening. The processes might be...

In this episode of NRG Insights , we take a step back and look at what actually helps people and businesses stay relevant in a changing market. Bringing together insights from Peter Beaumont, Andrew Robinson and Chris Gardner , this episode focuses on three themes that continue to come up in conversations across financial services: understanding the market, evolving with it, and working more colla...

Careers in financial services rarely follow a straight line. Some start in admin roles, some in sales, others in completely different industries before finding their place in finance. But over time, certain lessons tend to repeat themselves. The people who build long, successful careers often share similar attitudes towards learning, work ethic, and how they approach opportunities. This Best Of ep...

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus sits down with Matthew Yassin, Managing Director of Structured Finance at Aquilae Capital, to explore what really goes into structuring complex financial deals. With over 25 years of experience across banking, property investment and structured finance, Matthew has spent his career helping businesses navigate major financial decisions. From acquisitions and...

In this Best Of episode of NRG Insights, we revisit conversations with three of the industry’s Rising Stars, Billie Cox, George Ormerod and Sam Hutchins, to hear what it’s really like starting out in financial services today. The next generation is entering the industry at a time of constant change. Markets move quickly, expectations are higher, and the learning curve is steep. But fresh perspecti...

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus is joined by Uliana Kuzmis, Chief Credit Officer at Pallas Capital, to talk about how a new lender builds credibility and momentum in a competitive development finance market. Uliana shares her experience joining Pallas Capital as one of the first hires in the UK and helping to put the foundations in place, from credit frameworks and risk controls to operati...

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus is joined by Jaz Dhaliwal, Consultant Solicitor at Taylor Rose, to talk about how client expectations in conveyancing are changing and what good service really looks like today. With over a decade in residential property, Jaz shares how moving from a traditional model into consultancy has allowed her to offer a more flexible, client-focused approach. From ou...

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus sits down with Kunal Mehta, Managing Director of SDKA, to talk about his journey from airline captain to running one of the UK’s leading bridging lenders. Before entering property finance, Kunal spent over 15 years as a pilot with Emirates. That experience, operating in a high-pressure, precision-led environment, now shapes how he approaches risk, decision-m...

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus is joined by Dan Kendrick, a well-known and well-respected voice in business development across specialist lending. Dan shares his journey through financial services, starting out in smaller, less glamorous parts of the market and learning the ropes the hard way. From early roles focused on modest loan sizes to building long-term relationships in a crowded l...

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus sits down with Rebecca Lewis, Group Director at Affinity, to talk about what credibility really looks like in specialist finance — and how you actually build it over time. Rebecca shares her journey into financial services, starting at the very bottom and learning the business properly before moving into more complex lending.  They discuss why understanding...

Getting started in financial services isn’t always straightforward.  Titles are unclear, career paths aren’t linear, and most people don’t really know what “good” looks like in their first few years. In this Best Of NRG Insights episode, Marcus Nanson brings together voices from four professionals who are rising fast in specialist finance... George Sanford Lloyd Whiting Chris Grant Calean Gokani T...

Markets don’t always reward scale, speed, or process. Sometimes they reward judgement, experience, and knowing when to change course. In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus sits down with Stephen Johnson, founding partner at 9Y Capital, to talk about what lending really looks like when conditions tighten and certainty disappears. Stephen has spent more than two decades in property finance, lendin...

The first working days of the year are often when people pause and take stock. What worked. What didn’t. And what they want this year to look like. In this Best Of episode of NRG Insights, we’ve brought together practical advice and honest reflections from across the financial services industry, focused on what actually matters as you head into a new year. Rather than predictions or trends, this e...

Careers in financial services rarely follow a straight line. In this Best Of episode of NRG Insights, we bring together standout moments from four conversations that show how people actually find their way in the industry — often by accident, necessity, or saying yes to the wrong job before it turns out to be the right one. Featuring Nick Hilton, Ashley Ilsen, David Weir, and Anastasia Ttofis, thi...

As 2025 comes to a close, the role of the Business Development Manager continues to change. Markets are tighter, expectations are higher, and relationships matter more than ever. In this special NRG Insights compilation, we look ahead to 2026 and break down what genuinely separates strong BDMs from the rest. This episode brings together insights from Jez Quinn, Dan Narwal, Andy Reid, and Will Cali...