Connect Group announces exciting restructure

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The Connect Group, based in Hornchurch, has announced the appointment of Kevin Ward to head up the Connect Mortgage Club, which is a new buy to let and bridging service aimed exclusively at the broker market. In tandem with this appointment, Geoff Simmonds has been appointed the new manager of Connect Overseas. Both appointments will fall in line with the Connect Group’s diverse range of services, which is headed up by Managing Director Liz Syms.

Kevin, who has extensive financial services experience built up over 20 years, joins from First 4 Bridging where he gained extensive knowledge of the underwriting and administration of bridging deals. Prior to that he was Operations Manager at AMF One Stop Mortgages for nearly ten years, having started his career at NatWest. Geoff Simmonds joined the Connect Group back in 2008 and was brought in to strengthen the online presence and the broker proposition. Geoff has extensive intermediary and client experience, having worked at John Charcol and commercial lender 5D Finance.

Liz Syms, Managing Director at Connect Group, said,” We are extremely lucky to have secured Kevin’s services at a time when Connect Group is beginning to initiate its planned expansion. Kevin joins us with great experience of the marketplace and understands what intermediaries are looking for in terms of products and service. Geoff Simmonds has been an integral part of the Connect Group since he joined and has rightly been appointed to lead Connect Overseas into a new dawn, where we hope to help mortgage brokers deal direct with international mortgage providers.“

Kevin Ward commented, “ Connect Group has big ambitions and I am looking forward to helping them achieve those goals. The challenge in building a new division for the company has already started and I look forward to rolling out the new services to the intermediary market.”

Geoff Simmonds said “ Connect is becoming a full proposition for intermediaries wishing to access the best mortgage deals that the market has to offer. Unlike other industries foreign mortgages is a growing sector in terms of advice and we hope to help more brokers to tap into this lucrative market in 2012 through our unique intermediary web platform and support service.”