Our People | Meet Lindsay Porter

Lindsay Porter, Credit Underwriter

Lindsay started with Redwood Bank in September 2018 and is a credit underwriter. She had previously worked for The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in London until the arrival of her two children, at which point it became impractical to continue in that role. She is now delighted to have picked up her career with Redwood Bank.

Tell us more about why you enjoy your role at Redwood

I feel Redwood offers the best of both worlds, it is a professional and organised set-up as well as maintaining a personable and modern ethos to working. I still remember my shock on the first day, being told to turn up an hour late (it makes sense!), having an itinerary of training and introductions, having a computer set-up … it’s the small things, but they made a huge difference. I also remain surprised by how much ‘your opinion counts’. Feedback is sought and actioned, you are encouraged to speak up and management listen, and the support and flexibility to enable you to carry out your job to the best of your ability is impressive and unprecedented. It really is a modern set-up.
 

What has been your proudest moment to date?

Working closely with the BDM team to find solutions and the best structure for the client, or doing thorough research and asking challenging questions that mean we can lend to clients who, ordinarily and on the surface, would not meet standard investment criteria, but where, with patience and transparency, we can ascertain the true bigger picture.
 

What’s the best bit of advice you have received in the past two years?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure about something. Remember to ask DIMS (does it make sense?!). There have been a number of situations where I have struggled to understand the dynamics of the deals being sought, and you naturally question yourself as to whether you have missed something, or if it’s a gap in your understanding of the business. But ask yourself ‘does it make sense?’. If it doesn’t make sense to you, then it’s likely that it doesn’t make sense to others.
 

Challenger vs High Street banks – is there a place for both?

Yes, we operate in totally different markets. High Street banks will always have a place for straightforward deals and low-risk clients, but Challenger banks are out there to offer niche or specialist lending. This maybe to those not striving to be PLCs, or to those who have made mistakes in their career history, but who still have a good business acumen. Challenger banks have the advantage of being able to implement change, quickly.

Redwood is over two years old; how do you see the Bank evolving in years to come?

Growth without compromise. Redwood is still a relatively new bank, so can maximise on modern technology and ethos, that is such a big hurdle for existing banks to overcome.
 

What advice would you give to someone starting off in banking?

There is a wealth of experience out there, listen and learn.
 

If you weren’t working for Redwood, what would you be doing?

Well, before I started here, I was enjoying the life of luxury! I was a stay-at-home mum and both my girls had gone to school, so I had Monday to Friday to train my new puppy, do the gardening and go for lots of runs. So, if I wasn’t here, I’d be slightly more organised in my personal life, the dogs would have been better trained, and the garden would be less of a jungle – but I wouldn’t change anything.
 

And finally, please tell us something we don’t know?

I went on the reality TV show ‘The Salon’ to use the spa facilities and have my nails done! Oh, and I can run a 20-minute 5km, but am desperate to get below 20 minutes.