Continuous Future Confident Interview 01: Janine Ferrie

At Continuous, we believe in the power of strategy, creativity, and technology to equip businesses to face the future.

While we can’t be certain of what’s ahead, we can be ready. We call this state of readiness ‘future confident’.

For our new Future Confident Interview series, we’re talking to leaders across various fields about their hopes for the future of their industries, and the potential challenges that stand in the way.

In our very first interview, we had the pleasure of catching up with our client, Janine Ferrie, Group Head of Marketing, at award-winning, specialist mortgage and secured loan provider, Together.

Hi Janine, can you tell us a bit about your career so far?

Janine: Well, it feels like forever ago; but I fell in love with marketing whilst at university in my hometown of Dundee.

I studied Business Economics and Marketing, and graduated in 1999 with lots of ‘book smarts’ but a CV lacking the practical experience that would make me attractive to employers.

I moved from Dundee to Manchester in search of a way to get my foot on the career ladder and, thankfully, someone took a chance on me and I landed my first role as Marketing Exec – hopefully, they think it paid off!

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to work across lots of industries; from construction and travel, to agriculture and agency.

I eventually found my way into financial services, joining the Co-operative Bank in 2015 before arriving at Together in 2017.

Here, I moved from Marketing Business Partner to Group Head of Marketing in the space of around five years, thanks to a number of promotions and internal moves. 

I’ve loved my journey so far. I’ve always maintained that you need to have a career goal, but the plan to get there needs to be flexible and moveable.

Set your sights on where you want to end up, and be open to different paths that might get you there.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

Janine: This is an easy one. It might sound cliché, but the best part of my job is definitely the people I work with.

I’m so lucky to manage –and learn from – such a talented bunch.

Together prides itself on having an entrepreneurial spirit and a common sense approach to lending – and that attitude is definitely reflected in the people that work here, right up to the most senior level.

They’re driven, focussed, creative and ambitious; the work we do is exciting and they make me proud to lead the marketing team.

Things are fast-paced and ever-changing. That allows for agility and ingenuity, and that’s the kind of environment I really thrive in.

Aside from that, a highlight for me is helping to support and grow individuals, the way the business has supported my growth and career ambitions.

I joined Together to become a marketing leader and that’s been made a reality. 

There’s been a lot of talk around the ‘Great Resignation’ and now, the ‘Big Stay’. Are you experiencing evidence of either at Together?

Janine: I think on balance, we’re seeing a bit of both – and for the right reasons.

In the last 12 months, members have left the team for new opportunities and have joined the team as we experience exciting growth.

In the financial services industry, and in the marketing profession especially, people commonly move around to gain broader skills and experience.

Sometimes, people identify personal development opportunities that lie outside of their current role or business – and moving on to new things is the right thing to do in this instance.

I’ve been there and done that too, earlier on in my career. It helped me get to where I am today, which I’m very proud of.

Of course, as a manager of around 30 people, I’ll always champion internal movement and role changes as much as I possibly can.

Thankfully, Together is a business that recognises and respects the ambitions of the team, and it’s very common for staff to get promoted, take secondments or make internal moves to different teams.

Personal and professional development are important here – from accreditations and qualifications, to presentation skills, sign language, and beekeeping! 

I hope and facilitate that my current team members and colleagues find their next career step within the organisation but, should their path take them elsewhere, I’d support and empower them to make that choice.

How has your business changed over the last couple of years?

Janine: Being ambitious and opening doors is who we are – it’s been in Together’s DNA since the business was founded in 1974.

We’ve had our 50^th anniversary this year, and there has been a lot to celebrate.  

Not only have we grown the size of our marketing team in the last few years, we’ve massively grown the impact of our work too.

In fact, we've just launched a really impactful brand campaign [worked on together with the Continuous team] – a first for the business on TV, and a fantastic step forward for the awareness and visibility of the brand.

Janine: We’ve definitely seen the importance of specialist lending sky rocket in the last few years.

It’s more important than ever for individuals and businesses to get the right, tailored, common sense finance in place.

‍In March, Together announced that we delivered an average of 52 new loans every single working day in the last year.

That’s why investment in the TV advert and our other brand activity, alongside our strong trade activity and digital presence, is setting us up for the future and, ultimately, helping people realise their property ambitions. 

What do you think will be the biggest challenge you’ll face over the next five years?

Janine: For specialist lenders, it’s crucial that we increase awareness of the funding products and services we offer.

People have complex circumstances in today’s world, and one size doesn’t fit everyone, but people don’t always know the solutions are out there.

Maybe they’ve been turned away from a high street bank, or they don’t know how to get the right property finance in place as other lenders tighten their criteria – and that’s what Together is here for.

Brand marketing is about aligning ourselves with the right messages to those audiences who need us, sharing our company mission and targeting the right buyer segments – investing in activity that will further the reach and visibility of who we are and what we do.

Janine: Marketing at this scale sometimes required a significant investment of time, resource, money, and belief.

So, keeping up that momentum will be a challenge we have to rise to.

I’m more than confident our awesome team can smash it.

Throughout all this, martech advancements can be a help and, occasionally, a hindrance!

We’re always looking for smarter ways of working, and our team seek and embrace any new opportunity to optimise and stay abreast of changes.

That said, we need to make sure we’re picking the right tech, that’s suited for who we are as a business and how we operate.  

How do you see the future of property finance? And what’s your desire for the industry?

Janine: We’ve recently done some research, and it was energising to see that so many people have such strong homebuying ambitions.

In fact, a whopping 60% of millennials have aspirations to own property within the next five to ten years, despite some turbulence in the market and the economy. 

Personally, my work leads me to hear the first-hand stories of how difficult it can be for some people to get access to the finance they need.

People who have irregular income streams, people who are self-employed, or people who need quick decisions to capitalise on auction purchases, for example.

I’d like to think that the future of property finance isn’t centred around the ‘computer says no’, cryptic criteria approach – but instead enables common sense to prevail when lenders make decisions.

That’s what we’re doing at Together.

How are you helping your customers to build a better future?

Janine: Put simply, we help people access the finance they need to realise their property ambitions.

That may be a first time buyer, a business wanting to secure their future, a developer driven to increase access to social housing, or a landlord aiming to expand their investment portfolio.

We do this by making common sense lending decisions, and taking a case by case view of the individual stories behind the applications.

Even during tough times, we keep on opening doors for people.

Ultimately, we’re lending money but we’re enabling success and bringing dreams to life.

When I say it, it sounds cheesy – but that really is the driving passion behind why we do what we do. 

If you'd like to get involved with our Future Confident interviews, please email our Marketing Director, Bec Peel, via rebecca.peel@wearecontinuous.net