The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA) has appointed Richard Beardshaw as its management committee chair for 2024/25.

For the course of 2025, Beardshaw, who works as head of sales for mortgage intermediaries at HSBC UK, will be joined by two deputy chairs, Nicola Goldie and Louisa Sedgewick of Aldermore and Paragon Bank, respectively.

IMLA is a trade body that represents the interests of 53 UK mortgage lenders and 12 associated firms involved in generating mortgage business via professional financial intermediaries. The management committee controls the association’s operations, steers its activities and represents IMLA at meetings with external stakeholders.

Beardshaw will take over 20 years’ experience in the financial services sector to the role, having worked at HSBC for more than eight years, and having previous experience at Countrywide, Lehman Brothers and Platform.

He said: "I’m absolutely delighted to take on the role of chair and on behalf of everyone at IMLA I’d like to thank Jeremy for his three years’ service as chair. I look forward to working with Kate and the directors to continue to support IMLA’s membership.”

Beardshaw will also be joined by directors, Jeremy Duncombe of Accord Mortgages, who is the current chair, and Andy Dean of Nationwide, along with co-opted directors, Adrian Moloney of OSB Group and Jonathan Stinton of Coventry for Intermediaries. Kate Davies will continue in her role as executive director.

Davies added: "Congratulations to Richard and to all those who have been either elected or co-opted, to those who are returning for a further year and those joining us for the first time. I greatly value their experience and willingness to give up their time to help me run the Association. I look forward to working with them all in the coming year.

"I would like to thank those members who have worked on the committee and are now standing down, and also those who offered themselves for election. We had an exceptionally large and strong field of candidates this year, which indicates healthy support for and interest in IMLA's activities on behalf of its members, which is much appreciated.

"My particular thanks go to Jeremy Duncombe who, having taken over as chair part-way through his predecessor's two-year term, was then elected to serve for the next two full years. He has completed a long stint, and will continue to help IMLA as he remains on the management committee."

---