The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 84
Meet The BDM
Gatehouse Bank
The Intermediary speaks with Emma Kelman, business development
manager (BDM) in home finance at Gatehouse Bank
How and why did you
What brought you to
become a BDM?
Gatehouse Bank?
When I was working as a financial
adviser, we used to have BDMs come
in and present to us all the time. I
often thought how much I’d love
to be in their role. One day, a sales
manager visited the office and shared
that they were expanding their team
but were having trouble finding a
BDM for the South East region.
I jumped at the opportunity and
called her as soon as she left our
office. I had no experience in the
role at the time, but I managed
to persuade them that I would be
perfect for the role. That was in 1999
– the rest is history.
I’ve always enjoyed pushing myself
and learning new things. While I
wasn’t really aware of how Shariah
finance worked at the time, it excited
me to try something different. I
also loved the idea of being able
to help customers based overseas
as it’s something I had often been
asked about in my previous role but
had never been able to experience.
Joining Gatehouse Bank has given me
the opportunity to do this. I’ve now
been working at Gatehouse Bank
for the last three years and I’m very
much enjoying the experience. The
people you work with can make such
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The Intermediary | November 2025
a difference to your overall happiness
in the workplace and everyone
here has been so welcoming and
collaborative. I also love working in
the specialist market and continuing
to challenge myself within my role.
One of the best parts about the job is
that every day feels different, which
gives me a real sense of satisfaction
that I don’t think would be possible
in the same way if I was working for a
mainstream provider.
What makes Gatehouse
Bank stand out?
Gatehouse Bank stands out because
of its innovative and wide product
offering, which is especially helpful
