Tell us what attracted you to join the NWF? The opportunity to do innovative work with a purpose.
What does your role involve? I’m a transactional lawyer by background so I spend a lot of my time supporting our Banking & Investments and Local Authority teams on deals – that could be anything from advising on subsidy control risk to information sharing, negotiating financing agreements to managing completions. Outside of our deals, I advise all parts of the business on all things legal.
What is the NWF like to work for?
There’s never a dull day and I am always learning something new. Working at the intersection of the public and private sectors gives you a really unique experience.
What were you doing before you joined the Fund, and how has your experience helped with the role you are now doing?
I was in private practice at Addleshaw Goddard in Leeds for 9 years, working social, sustainable and green finance transactions. The lessons learned through advising clients at different financial institutions and managing multiple demanding projects at AG has given me a solid foundation for meeting the demands of the fast-paced environment at NWF.
What are your highlights/ proudest achievements since joining the NWF?
I’ve worked on so many great transactions that it’s hard to pick but I’m most proud of my work on our social housing retrofit guarantees. To date, we’ve deployed £1.3bn of guarantee support for loans to registered providers of social housing, providing much needed investment to improve homes for residents. I loved working with former clients and colleagues from the social housing sector on these projects – it was the perfect combination of my previous and current role.
What are you looking forward to next at the NWF?
Working on deals in our new priority sectors and building out the NWF legal team with some excellent new lawyers!
What would you say to anyone thinking of applying for a role here?
If you want to work on first of a kind and interesting deals with great colleagues, then NWF is the place for you. Leeds is a great city and there’s a real sense of collaboration between the government bodies and departments (like Bank of England and Government Legal Department) that are based here.