‘I always wanted to play for Spurs’

In our latest Five Minute Interview, Tony Sanchez speaks to Steve Gregory, Business Development Manager at Aspen Bridging.

Steve joined Aspen in March 2022 as the lender’s first Southern Region Business Development Manager (BDM).

Covering south London, South East and South West regions, he is responsible for creating closer face-to-face relationships with his existing network and building new partnerships to maximise opportunities for Aspen to expand their reach and recognition within the industry.

What is the best thing about being in the bridging finance business?

The variety of deals you see on a daily basis keeps it interesting, especially at Aspen where we warmly welcome complex cases.

No two deals are the same, so there’s the constant need to think outside of the box to make a deal work.

What keeps you focused?

Multiple things keep me focused.

Personally a drive to provide the best life possible for my daughter and give her the best start in life.

Professionally I am also driven to win the right deals for Aspen and give the best customer service I possibly can by being completely honest with brokers and their clients about what is and isn’t possible and then driving deal to completion when it’s one we have committed to support.

What qualities do you look for in your employees or colleagues?

People that are driven and keen to find a solution to any issues that may arise in a deal.

Also a team that can have fun whilst still getting the job done is important to keeping a high morale!

My colleagues are exceptional communicators who constantly interact with me and the brokers and that ultimately makes every deal as smooth as possible.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Definitely an optimist, I’m always looking to see the positive in a situation and make the most of it.

Thankfully that’s also the general commercial ethos at Aspen so it’s a good fit.

What did you want to be as a child?

I always wanted to play for Spurs, but once the realisation hit that I was nowhere near good enough I wanted to do anything outdoors.

That soon changed after working on building sites during the winter months! 

What will be the greatest challenge facing the bridging finance industry in the coming months?

BTL rates have been dropping slowly over the past couple of months, however I’ve started to see some lenders withdrawing cheaper rates and starting to increase them.

With SWAP rates increasing again this will make it harder for some borrowers seeking higher LTVs.

With ourselves, we look at each case on its own merit and frequently look into their circumstances to see if a higher LTV can be supported.

We expect a period of stable and sustainable growth in the property market as a gradually increasing housing supply remains matched by demand. 

Who or what makes you laugh?

My daughter is always making me laugh. She is coming up to two years old and has a really cheeky personality and knows how to get a positive reaction out of me. 

Do you dread Monday mornings?

I don’t dread Mondays, but I would be lying if I said I’m sat home on Sunday nights counting down the hours.

As much as I love seeing and speaking with my wonderful brokers, I love spending time with my family.

That said there are times a break from play dates and kids parties is needed and Mondays can’t come quick enough! 

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

About 18 months ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis which can make the life on the road as a BDM very challenging at times.

But I follow professional advice and look after myself as well as I can, the team at Aspen are also very, very supportive so I’m lucky in that sense. 

With whom would you most like to have dinner?

I would love to have dinner with the Tottenham legend Bill Nicholson and hear some of the stories from our glory days.

I hope he’s got a good memory, there haven’t been many glory days recently!

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