"At the heart of Afin Bank is a desire to help customers who have been let down by mainstream providers, so I really wanted somebody heading up our operations who was passionate about people"
- Nicola Tunney, Afin Bank’s chief people and operating officer
Rebecca Lewis has been appointed head of operations for specialist lender Afin Bank, which launched in October last year.
Rebecca will oversee the customer-facing functions, including lending operations and customer service, when the bank starts offering products later this year.
Lewis has vast experience in financial services operations, particularly in the building society sector where she has had roles with Dudley Building Society, Skipton Building Society and most recently as head of customer service at Tipton and Coseley Building Society.
Afin Bank has been created to support underserved customers, such as self-employed and high net worth borrowers, but in particular people from Africa living in the UK who find it difficult to get a mortgage from mainstream borrowers because of their visa status or lack of credit history.
Afin Bank, which received its banking licence Authorisation with Restrictions (AwR) in October last year, is backed by African reinsurer WAICA Re, which has committed £62m to setting up the bank. It will offer a range of residential and buy-to-let mortgages next year, for borrowers in the UK as well as borrowers in certain African countries interested in the UK buy-to-let market, alongside an FSCS protected savings proposition.
Rebecca Lewis commented: “We want to understand our customers and build relationships with them, it’s about us creating a bank that customers can trust. My past experience working in Building Societies has shown me how valuable supporting the communities around us can be.
“Customer feedback is important to understand the challenges they are facing, so that we can adapt our processes and products to their needs. Customer service isn’t just about being pleasant on the phone, it’s about finding ways that make managing your finances as straightforward and effortless as possible.”
Nicola Tunney, Afin Bank’s chief people and operating officer, said: “At the heart of Afin Bank is a desire to help customers who have been let down by mainstream providers, so I really wanted somebody heading up our operations who was passionate about people – not just our customers, but the colleagues supporting them as well.
“Bec has all those qualities as well as huge amounts of experience on the frontline and in developing the systems we need to make our operations world class. I am delighted that she is part of the Afin Bank team.”
