Tandem Bank, the Blackpool headquartered challenger bank, today announced that Nigel Brookes, Director of Second Charge Sales and Distribution, has taken planned early retirement after more than a decade with the business, a period that saw the bank establish itself as a leading player in the specialist second charge mortgage market.
Stepping into her new role as Head of Sales and Distribution, Laura Walters has worked closely alongside both Nigel and Steve Beard (Managing Director of Mortgages) throughout her 13 years with Tandem. Her deep understanding of the second charge market, strong broker relationships and contribution to the business make her the natural choice to lead the department as Tandem continues to grow. She will continue to work in close partnership with Steve Beard.
Nigel joined Tandem at a key stage in the bank’s growth and played a central role in establishing Tandem as a leader in second charge lending. Among the highlights of his time with the business was the launch of Tandem Connect last year, a next generation broker platform that transformed how partners engage with the bank. By automating key stages of the loan process, Tandem Connect reduced case processing times by 4.5 working days, significantly improving broker and customer experience and setting a new standard for how Tandem engages with the broker community.
The second charge market has seen strong growth in the first quarter with an increase of more than 27% in new agreements year-on-year through 2025 and 20261.
Steve Beard, Managing Director of Mortgages at Tandem, commented: "On behalf of everyone at Tandem, I'd like to thank Nigel for his huge contribution over the past decade. He has played a central role in building our second charge proposition into what it is today and in shaping our relationships across the broker community. A planned early retirement is thoroughly well deserved and we wish him all the very best for what comes next.”
“I'm delighted to see Laura step into this role. She brings strong leadership, deep expertise and a clear understanding of both our strategy and our partners. The second charge market is growing and we're growing with it - with a strong team in place, a clear plan and the technology to back it up."
Laura Walters, Head of Sales and Distribution, added: “I’m excited to step into this role at such a pivotal moment for Tandem and the second charge market. We’ve built strong foundations through great tech, strong relationships and real delivery. My focus now is on accelerating that. For brokers, that means faster decisions, smoother journeys and a partner that’s easy to do business with. The opportunity here is massive and we’re well placed to make the most of it.”
1Finance & Leasing Association, Second Charge Mortgage Statistics, 2025–2026 reporting
