It's important to nurture partnerships and turn confidence and trust into pipelines that serve both clients and the business with purpose.

Having recently joined Cohort Capital as head of sales, residential, I’ve experienced what feels like a fresh start. After nine years in my previous role, creating a pipeline from scratch was a distant memory. Where I was once part of the furniture, the past few months have reminded me that it takes time to reach that level again.

Which relationships are really yours?

Moving to a new company inevitably tests existing relationships. It raises the question: are these connections genuine, deep-rooted and reciprocal, or were they propped up by the previous brand and the products you represented? The answer, I’ve found, is a bit of both.

Some relationships have proved their strength immediately — the deeper ones where introducers were quick to meet, eager to hear about the new venture and ready to pick up where we left off. However, other connections have revealed themselves to be less resilient than I once thought. Calls and emails go unanswered and with that silence comes the realisation that further work is needed to rebuild and reinforce these ties.

The challenge: building confidence through collaboration

Learning a new set of products means not only understanding how they work but also being able to communicate them with clarity. At their core, they are all bridging but every company has its nuances and it's important to get on top of these quickly. At Cohort Capital, underwriting is broader and less rigid than the tick-box approach I've seen elsewhere in the market. This flexibility allows us to adapt rather than remain rigid, tailoring deals to borrower needs or asset repositioning.

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 In the long term, having this flexibility is a clear advantage and one I am already benefitting from. In the short term, however, the transition has been more challenging. In my previous environment, I knew every nuance of lending appetite and could confidently sit in front of a client and say whether we would do a deal or not. At Cohort, that confidence had to be rebuilt.

The solution: collaboration and cohesion

Having a collaborative team, all sat under one roof, meant some hand-holding in those early stages. Quick decisions were still delivered with confidence and as time has progressed, my understanding of appetite has been re-tuned to the Cohort way of working.

When a case comes in, it is discussed openly and decisions are made almost instantly, with the team assessing both the borrower's capabilities and the asset itself.

Crucially, Cohort avoids multiple layers of committees -- interest comes directly from investment committee members, providing speed and certainty. A pipeline is never built in isolation; it depends on borrowers being treated as partners rather than just clients. In today's market, where deal structures are increasingly complex, partnership is critical. Borrowers and brokers value guidance, operational insight and flexibility. When the team works cohesively, you know where you stand and collective effort is transformed into delivery and delivery into trust.

Building resilience, not just pipelines

Rebuilding a pipeline from scratch has reminded me that success is not about chasing numbers, but about building with clarity, collaboration and teamwork. It means testing and drawing upon the relationships I have worked hard to establish over the years and nurturing them in new ways. These principles do more than create a pipeline; they create resilience, trust and long term value for brokers, borrowers and investors alike.

One lesson stands out: success in this industry is never the product of one individual alone. It comes from collective effort and the ability to nurture relationships that endure beyond brands and products.