Q&A with Marc Goldberg & Gary Beckett

Executive Committee members, Marc Goldberg and Gary Beckett, who have been with the business for 35 and 30 years respectively, discuss Together’s success and what makes the business special. What is the secret of Together’s success over the last 50 years?

Gary: We always put the customer at the heart of everything we do, and try to deliver good outcomes to their timescales, no matter how difficult it is. This, combined with our deep property expertise, our focus on relationships, a common-sense approach and a constant drive to improve our service, has helped us build the business we have today. None of our success would have been possible without our amazing colleagues, who go the extra mile to help our customers realise their property ambitions.

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Why is Together a special place to work?

Marc: We are like a family, with an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong work ethic. We genuinely care about doing the right thing for our customers, our investors, our communities and each other. Unlike some other lenders, we don’t just do what the computer tells us to do. We are real people, making real decisions to help customers with real opportunities and problems. This focus on customer service runs from our founder all the way through the business. The longevity of our colleague base highlights our family-like culture, with around one-third of our people having been with the business for five years or more and quite a few who have been with Together for over 20 years.

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What events stand out in your time at Together?

Gary: There have been quite a number of highlights and challenges over the years. Becoming FCA regulated in 2004, achieving a ￡1bn loan book and then ￡1bn of retained earnings, launching our first private and public securitisations facilities in?2007 and 2017 respectively, and issuing our first bond in 2013. Being listed as one of the UK’s Best Companies to Work For in 2018, and winning the award for Employer of the Year in our category by Investors in People during this financial year, along with attending our many Long Service Awards where we get the opportunity to?say thank you to our colleagues. We have also successfully weathered multiple economic cycles, including the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020, proving the strength and resilience of our business.

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How excited are you about the future?

Marc: Our markets are growing. This year we launched our first national advertising campaign and we have entered the UK mortgage networks and clubs which represent around 70% of the intermediary mortgage market in the UK. We have also combined our sales teams to more effectively promote all of our products to new and existing customers, and we are making a major investment over the next few years in transforming and future-proofing our technology platform to create a modern, agile and scalable back office, lending and services platform. This will support our aim to be the best service provider across the whole life cycle of the customer journey, further expanding our distribution and enhancing operational efficiency, returns and scalability. With the knowledge, experience and people we have, and the technology we will have, we will continue to grow and help even more customers realise their ambitions. That’s exciting.